Maggie O’Farrell
Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell takes place over a period of four days in July during the 1976 heatwave. Opening on July 15, Gretta watches as her retired husband, Robert, leaves the house to fetch the paper from a nearby store. When he doesn’t return, Gretta becomes concerned. The police are called. It turns out Robert has withdrawn money from their bank account and mysteriously disappeared.
Gretta calls her son, Michael Francis, who then contacts his two sisters, Monica and Aiofe. Michael Francis lives in London with his wife and two children. Monica lives in the countryside with her second husband. And Aiofe flies back from America where she has been living for several years. Gretta’s three children converge on their family home in London to solve the mystery of their father’s disappearance.
The novel alternates between the multiple perspectives of Gretta and her three adult children. With each perspective we learn the character’s backstory and current situation. Gretta, of Irish Catholic descent, settled in London with Robert and raised three children. She is garrulous, opinionated, manipulative, and deceptive. Michael Francis, a frustrated history school teacher, is experiencing marital problems with his wife, Claire. Monica is also experiencing marital problems with her second husband and is treated with contempt by her two step-daughters. And Aiofe, suffering from some form of undiagnosed dyslexia, feels ashamed of her inability to read and has harbored that secret from her employer and boyfriend in America.
O’Farrell sets this family drama against a vivid description of a heat wave. The family tension similarly heats up with past grievances, resentments, and childish petty squabbles. Accusations are hurled from one to another; misunderstandings abound. Eventually, the children piece together clues and confront their mother with their findings. Gretta reluctantly reveals secrets she and Robert had kept from their children for decades. The family then heads to Ireland to search for Robert. The novel has an open-ended conclusion with Robert walking up the path to reunite with his family. Although not clearly stated, the suggestion is the family has healed and forgiven one another’s trespasses. Their mutual love has re-surfaced in spite of the bruises and hurts.
This compelling family drama skillfully weaves the four different perspectives which illuminate one another as they unfold. The characters are portrayed as distinct, unique, and believable individuals. We see the challenges and anxieties they each face. O’Farrell is an expert at presenting a character’s interiority and dialogue that is specific to that individual. Her ability to get inside a character’s head and to present each one as a believable individual is nothing short of masterly.
An engaging, well-crafted story with characters that leap off the page with their authenticity.
Highly recommended.