Pages: 347
Published: 25th May 2023
Genre: General Fiction
Content warning: References to domestic abuse
One night in a remote hunting lodge with a Hollywood director causes an international scandal that wrecks Astrid’s glittering stage career, and her marriage. Her ex-husband, the charismatic Scottish actor Magnus Fellowes, goes on to find global fame, while Astrid retreats to a disintegrating Sussex windmill.
Now 82, she lives there still, with a troupe of dachshunds and her long-suffering friend, Mrs Baker, who came to clean twenty years ago and never left. But the past is catching up with them. There has been an ‘Awful Incident’ at the windmill; the women are in shock. Then Astrid hears that Magnus, now on his death bed, is writing a tell-all memoir. Outraged, she sets off for Scotland, determined to stop him.
This is a highly original and enjoyably bizarre story with something rather powerful and moving at its heart. With pages of very thoughtful prose that flits between different time periods, we step into the shoes of a memorable main character whose eccentricity serves as the main highlight, often making up for a slow pace and limited plot development.
Looking back at the recent work of Lucy Atkins and a pattern is emerging – she seems to have a thing for odd couples who are not romantically involved. We have the mismatched pair of Olivia and Vivian in The Night Visitor, then the lonely misfits Dee and Birdy in Magpie Lane. But here, we see perhaps her most curious double act of the lot in the windmill dwelling pair of former actress Astrid and her cohabitant Mrs Baker.
The timeline here is at times difficult to piece together as the story is told in non-chronological order. There are several references to an ‘awful event’ that recently took place and while the present day sees Astrid’s chaotic attempts to travel to Scotland to see her dying former lover Magnus, the plot only revisits this journey occasionally as the action largely focuses on past events and the background of her and Mrs Baker’s unlikely companionship.
That was both a strength and a weakness as although this method of storytelling made a lot of it feel meaningful and added to the vibe of irreverent escapism that in a way reflected the scattered nature of the two women, the constant jumping back and forth made it tricky to follow. It is also a book that does not prioritise the plot and instead spends time pondering deep topics, so there are a few lulls where – depending on what kind of reader you are – you may find yourself skim reading.
The present day plot is more than worth investing in, however. There is considerable build-up to when Astrid finally comes face to face with Magnus on his deathbed and that moment does not disappoint, with the very idea of his biography and the mystery surrounding their estrangement many years ago providing that sprinkle of intrigue which is all the motivation you need to carry on to the end.
There is a lot of emotional baggage between the two characters and the author draws that out with great skill, just as she does between Astrid and Mrs Baker. Their shared understanding comes across naturally on the page and while we know quite early on that Astrid had quite a colourful life before ending up at the windmill, we learn that Mrs Baker sees it as her safe haven for completely different reasons.
In fact, nearly all the characters are well developed and entertaining in their own way. Magnus feels like he is going to be a lot of fun from the moment Mrs Baker reads out quotes from a newspaper interview, and in person he is similarly straight talking. His interfering, litigious son Desmond by contrast is the kind of person who would take the joy out of everything, whereas Nina is really likeable and the way she becomes part of Astrid’s life is heartwarming.
As a setting, a windmill is just about as wacky as you can get. The author has clearly done a fair amount of research too, as there are some descriptions of the mechanics of it and the layout, which adds some credibility to the entire premise. Also, the peaceful and relatively secluded landscape that surrounds a windmill is reflected in the writing, with the story given a serene atmosphere to go with the often leisurely pacing.
Overall, it is not a book that you can power through in the blink of an eye, more one that you need to devote some decent periods of time to in order to appreciate fully. Even when there is a shifting timeline that can cause frustration, it is hard to deny that Lucy Atkins has written something profoundly intelligent here and the characters and concept both provide lots to enjoy.
It was not a book I found easy to read due to the slow pace and non-linear storytelling, but the writing is still impressive and the present day timeline certainly had me wanting to find out more.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
