Amanda Craig’s The Golden Rule is the latest in a series of loosely interconnected novels which explore the state of my particular nation. I’m a sucker for this kind of fiction and have enjoyed several of Craig’s contributions to it including The Lie of the Land, a Brexit novel that, for me, was very much better than Jonathan Coe’s Costa Award-winning, Middle England, and I’m a Coe fan. This new one follows Hannah who strikes a shocking bargain with a stranger she meets on a train, echoing Patricia Highsmith and Alfred Hitchcock.
Hannah and Jake met at university, both studying literature – one from a Cornish working-class background, the other distinctly posh. Hannah spent her childhood reading, a love fostered by her single mother’s bookselling friend. Her ideas about love and relationships took a battering with the discovery of the controlling, abusive Jake’s infidelity. Hannah gave up her career in advertising five years ago to look after their daughter and is now reduced to cleaning to keep herself and Maisy afloat. When she’s summoned to Cornwall to say goodbye to her dying mother, she scrapes together the funds for the ticket and boards the train to St Piran, cramming herself into a standing-room-only carriage. Through the door she spots an elegant, beautiful woman sitting in a first-class compartment who beckons her in. As if in a dream, Hannah joins her and before long they’ve swapped stories. It seems that Jinni is also in the midst of an acrimonious divorce and has a somewhat unorthodox solution. Why don’t they kill each other’s husbands? Over the summer spent in Cornwall, clearing her mother’s council house, Hannah is faced with constant reminders of this bargain as she finds herself in surprising employment.
She lived between two worlds, at ease in neither
Craig’s overarching theme is division. The gender divide of Hannah and Jake’s divorce, intergenerational division and the regional and economic inequality that led to a decision that split the nation almost, but not quite, in half four years ago, are adroitly and compassionately explored. It’s all cleverly done as Hannah battles with Jake, travelling between London and Cornwall, itself divided into the rich second-homers and those who service them, unable to afford homes for themselves. As ever, Craig incorporates all this into the backdrop for a thoroughly satisfying story, neatly avoiding stereotypes by regularly overturning preconceptions. The thread of suspense is slim, but this is a book all about its characters and the way they fit together rather than solving a mystery although there is a pleasing twist or two. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Intelligent, thought-provoking writing wrapped up in an immersive piece of storytelling, it’s one to think about packing in your holiday suitcase should you be doing such a thing this year.
Little, Brown: London 2020 9781408711521 400 pages Hardback
I enjoyed The Lie of the Land and this sounds like good fun as well. I’ll hope to find it via my library this year.
It is, Rebecca. She has a fine line in delivering sharp social observation entertainingly.
Another new-to-me author – thank you for the introduction! This sounds like the perfect summer read
If you click with her writing there’s lots to discover, Liz. She’s great on social justice without being didactic or prescriptive about it.
I very much enjoy Amanda Craig’s books. I will be reading this one.
Glad to hear that, Annabel. You’re in for a treat.
Sounds fun. I’ve just bought Lie of the Land and try that one first, to see if I like her style, but the subject matter is right up my street.
I hope you enjoy The Lie of the Land, Marina. The best Brexit novel I’ve read. Craig is so good at exposing social inequalities while giving her readers a good time.
I’ve seen a number of very strong reviews for this book and tended to ignore them because I always thought of Amanda Craig as a writer of not much substance. I don’t know where I got that opinion from, because if you rate her then she’s definitely worth rating. Is this a good place to start or would you recommend one of her earlier novels?
I started with Hearts and Minds prior to which I would have shared your scepticism, Ann. She’s not an author for literary fireworks but she has a knack for spinning a story rich in social observation.
Sounds like an interesting riff on the Strangers on a Train theme. I love Highsmith and SoaT is one of my favourite of her novels, so this might be a good bet for me.
Definitely a nod to Highsmith although, to avoid disappointment, I should tell you that the pact is a hook to hang Craig’s story, Jacqui. She did something similar with Cold Comfort Farm in The Lie of the Land.
I’ve never read Amanda Craig but this sounds really insightful and interesting.
I think you’d enjoy her novels, Cathy. Easy but intelligent and reliably good reads
Great review. I have this on my TBR. I may have to bump it up.
Thanks, Janet. I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.
So pleased to hear this! I’ve read a couple of her books and thoroughly enjoyed them (more than ten years ago, I’d say, and I’d have to look up the titles) and have always meant to read more. On Twitter, I often see her promoting the work of other writers, too, (she’s clearly an active reader, not only a writer), which is something I admire, as many people seem more concerned about pumping up their own “brands” and unconcerned about how other people working in their field(s) are faring.
Absolutely! She’s always very gracious in acknowledging the contribution of bloggers, too.