The Visitors

I've followed Rebecca Mascull's Facebook page - where she is wickedly funny - for ages, but have only just now gotten around to reading one of her novels, her first in fact, The Visitors. It is a genre-defying blend of historical fiction, ghost story and mystery tale which I found to be wonderfully evocative of its era and a strongly compelling read.

The first half of the book where Liza recalls her childhood from its earliest years through to meeting Lottie and her subsequent discovery of her full potential was my favourite part. Liza is a fascinating narrator and I was in awe of Mascull's talent in vividly portraying her world to me. I felt as though Liza was actually speaking directly to me, rather than me 'just' reading a book! This immediacy seemed somewhat muted once The Visitors location shifts to Boer War South Africa, however this was possibly because Liza herself is now a more self aware adult. It was a shame to lose the vibrant, energetic child, but also rewarding to see how her deep friendship with Lottie transformed Liza's life - both their lives.

While its supernatural element is a vital part of The Visitors, the storyline wasn't as ghostly as I had expected and I would have liked some explanation of why Liza had her gift. That aside, The Visitors was a rewarding and historically interesting read which benefited from great research. On the strength of this novel, I will certainly be reading more of Rebecca Mascull's work, hopefully sooner rather than later.