Thrilled to be on the blog tour for Space Hopper by Helen Fisher.
PUBLISHING 4TH FEBRUARY 2021 | HARDBACK | SIMON & SCHUSTER UK
SYNOPSIS:
They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect.
I’ve been visiting my mother who died when I was eight. And I’m talking about flesh and blood, tea-and-biscuits-on-the-table visiting here.
Right now, you probably think I’m going mad. Let me explain…
Although Faye is happy with her life, the loss of her mother as a child weighs on her mind even more now that she is a mother herself. So she is amazed when, in an extraordinary turn of events, she finds herself back in her childhood home in the 1970s. Faced with the chance to finally seek answers to her questions – but away from her own family – how much is she willing to give up for another moment with her mother?
For fans of The Time Traveler’s Wife comes an original and heartwarming story about bittersweet memories, how the past shapes the future, and a love so strong it makes you do things that are slightly bonkers.
MY THOUGHTS:
What a thought-provoking book! Time travel back to the 70s, what's not to love! Full of nostalgia, hopes and dreams and a chance to meet loved ones again. I was very much taken by this novel.
Faye grew up without her mother and always cherishes her few lasting memories that she has of her. Now a mother herself, Faye is content and happily married. However, after finding a space hopper box in the attic and a photograph of her younger self, Faye is transported back to her earliest memories of her mother and some burning questions about her death. Then suddenly Faye finds herself back in her childhood home, witnessing first hand a younger version of herself and her beloved mother. Faye has a chance to glow in the warmth of her mother's touch and get to know her, although this time she is actually older than her mother and cannot bear to tell her the truth of who she really is.
As Faye spends time in the past she experiences a side to her mother she never knew and is able to begin to get close to her, something she has longed for for many years. However, as Faye journeys to the past and back to the future it takes its toll on her physical and mental being. Does her presence in the past have implications to her own future? Could she be changing the course of history and even be jeopardising her own existence? The need to go back and see her mother is dangerous, what if she can't get back? Or see her own children grow old? But the pull is too strong and Faye is determined to go back for one last time and source the truth of her mother's death.
This was really quite a dilemma and I did wonder what I would do in Faye's position. She honestly believed she could save her mother from her premature death but at what cost was she willing to take? I just adored this aspect of the novel as it left me with questions every time I closed the book. How far would you go to explore the past and find answers to what you had been searching for years? Fisher writes with such conviction that I was utterly taken by the idea of time travel as if it was a normal occurrence. The characters were realistic, heartwarming and comforting as if they were members of my own family. I was transported to the 70s and I loved every moment; how I would have killed for some red roller skates in my own childhood.
The ending was completely shocking but added a nice twist that I could not foresee. It was an emotive read, I loved the concept and premise of the novel from the very beginning and adored the conversation style that Fisher adopted. This debut novel is definitely one people will be shouting about this year, for me it is a must read. I cannot wait to see what Fisher can come up with next for novel number two as Space Hopper is truly mind-blowing.
Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me on the Space Hopper blog tour and to Simon and Schuster for my gifted copy.
AUTHOR:
Helen Fisher spent her early life in America, but grew up mainly in Suffolk where she now lives with her two children. She studied Psychology at Westminster University and Ergonomics at UCL and worked as a senior evaluator in research at RNIB. Space Hopper is her first novel.