Eleven five-star reads: My top books of 2014 – number 10

I have read 11 books this year that I have given the full five stars to. Coming in at number 10 is… another Maggie O’Farrell novel.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell

Iris gets a call to tell her that she must come and collect her great aunt Esme Lennox from a nursing home as it’s closing down. But Iris has never heard of Esme, and she can’t speak to Esme’s sister Kitty as she has Alzheimer’s. Esme has been in the home for 60 years, and Iris tries to find out what has happened.

The book is written from the points of view of the three women, and flits back and forth in time. Kitty’s narrative is disjointed, reflecting her Alzheimer’s, but helps us piece the story together. The story is fascinating and many secrets come to the surface, some of which are quite shocking. I loved the novel and found the stories of the three women really interesting, particularly the contrasts between the lives of Esme and Iris in the present day.