Review: The Mysterious Affair at Castaway House by Stephanie Lam

It's 1965 and eighteen year-old Rosie Churchill has run away to the beautiful but run-down Castaway House in the seaside town of Helmstone. But when she uncovers a scandal locked away in the walls of the old house, she soon comes to realise that neither her own troubled past nor that of the house will stay buried for long. . .

In 1924 fresh-faced Robert Carver comes to Castaway House to spend a languid summer in the company of his much wealthier cousin, Alec Bray. But the Brays are a damaged family, with damaging secrets. And little does Robert know that his world is about to change for ever.

As Rosie begins to learn more about Robert, the further she is drawn into the mysterious history of the house, and their stories, old and new, entwine.

Paperback 504 pages

Publication Date: August 28th 2014 by Penguin Books
Genre: Historical Fiction

Kristine's Thoughts:

I received an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This book alternates between Rosie Churchill in 1965 and Robert Carver in 1924. The common thread throughout both stories is Castaway House in the seaside town of Helmstone. Although the house is completely tranformed between stories there is a common thread that mysteriously links the two.

I really enjoyed both parts of this story. Normally I tend to favour one over the other but that was not the case with this book. I found both Rosie and Robert's story to be interesting and when clues started popping up about the link between the two I was fully engaged. I desperately wanted to know what happened and what the connection was. Some things I was able to figure out easily whereas others I was not.

I sort of fell in love with Lam's description of Castaway House and could picture it vividly in my mind. Her writing style was easy to follow and made a large book feel like a short one. She writes in a way that makes you feel like you are there and creates characters that you feel like you know.

I won't re-tell the story (you will have to read it) but I will say that this was a book that I was truly happy to read. Lam is a new author to me and I will be sure to check out any and all future work by her.

About the Author

Stephanie Lam was born in London. She now lives in Brighton, close to the sea.
The Mysterious Affair at Castaway House is her first novel.

Connect with Stephanie

Twitter / Goodreads