A remarkable book. Potentially disturbing themes explored in a sensitive and realistic way.

Flora and Rory are twins; we follow their lives from their birth in 1942 up to Flora's funeral in 2000. But not in a traditional way. The funeral opens the book, and is described by Flora herself. The next section, in 1942, is followed by another in 1987 when Flora is arguing ethical issues with her mother. And then there is more first person commentary from beyond the grave.

The timeframe flips forwards and backwards, gradually filling in the gaps in the story and expanding on the clues given in the prologue. The writing is excellent, the characters well-drawn and memorable. And the disturbing themes - promiscuity, incest, depression and more - are subsidiary to the human interest. Highly recommended - really four and a half stars. ( )

***SPOILER ALERT***

Where I got the book: this is one of those rare occasions where I requested a copy from the author because I became intrigued about her writing.

I’ve been mulling over whether to include spoilers or not, but I think I’ll have to if I’m going to discuss the story properly. The blurb makes the novel sound like it’s a family story and so it is, told in a non-linear style over a sixty-year period. It’s the story of Flora Dunbar, her twin brother Rory, and their family through three generations, interestingly framed in a beyond-the-grave narration by Flora’s—ghost? Tortured soul? There’s a whole book club discussion in just that one point.

As children, Flora and Rory are emotionally close, to the point that separation causes them anguish. As they grow up Rory’s extraordinary talent as a pianist takes him to places where Flora can’t go. She marries Hugh, a widowed vicar (this is the early 1960s so Flora’s view of her career options is excusably limited) while Rory marries Grace, a fellow musician.

Neither marriage is particularly happy. Flora and Rory’s adult relationship is twisted and tormented by a physical attraction toward each other that is made apparent to the reader early on. Flora copes by drinking; Rory has his music; but you just KNOW where I’m going with this, don’t you. Yep.

And this is where I have to say that I admire the way Linda Gillard deals with the subject of incest. All good novels have a “what-if?” at their core, and A Lifetime Burning asks: what if love—in all its manifestations, emotional and physical—is forbidden by morality, religion and law but still undeniably there? What does it do to the people involved? She flanks the story of Rory and Flora with two other instances of incest (the Dunbars are quite the close family) which have different outcomes, both equally bleak. And she handles the topic with grace: without glamorizing it, without condemning or condoning, with an understanding of the depth of love involved and the corresponding depth of pain.

I described this novel to a friend and she remarked that she wouldn’t even read such a book because the subject-matter would make her feel as if she needed a shower. I understood her squeamishness: if A Lifetime Burning had glamorized the situation or tried to make it sexy or anything like that, I would have felt the same. But Gillard focuses on the consequences of Flora and Rory’s obsessive relationship and its destructive nature; there’s nothing glamorized about it. Sex is far from being the focus of the novel, although several of the characters crave a sexual relationship for the intimacy and warmth it brings. The one—memorable—sex scene that I recall is beautifully written to bring out Flora’s role as the victim of her desires and Rory’s as her tortured manipulator.

The writing is fantastic; Gillard is particularly good at dialogue and balances it beautifully with narrative scenes. Having recently read Life After Life , also a literary novel concerning a family told in a non-linear style, I couldn’t help noticing that I cared a whole lot more about the characters in A Lifetime Burning—the emotion that I felt the much-touted litfic “best novel of the century” lacked was right here, in a novel that’s every bit as good as Kate Atkinson’s. I particularly liked Hugh, the still center of the novel who is, in the long run, able to deal with his own desires and emotions in a non-destructive way.

I do relish writers who tackle the hard stuff of life without making a big song and dance about it. I enjoyed this read very much and would recommend it to anyone who likes literary fiction and who appreciates that writers get to think the unthinkable so that we can experience the repercussions within the space of our own heads, with no harm to anyone. ( )

Story Overview

The book opens at the funeral of Flora Dunbar—our narrator and the one who has spent her lifetime burning. (And, perhaps, her afterlife burning, depending on what you believe.) Although Flora has struggled to be good her whole life, she hasn't always been able to live according to society's standards and morals. Her problem? A forbidden love that is condemned and misunderstood—even by herself.

You see, Flora's love for her twin brother Rory extends beyond love for a brother. Their intense closeness as children was difficult to let go of once they were grown. Although both tried to seek out more traditional and acceptable life partners—Flora as a pastor's wife to Hugh and Rory as a husband to Grace (a fellow musician)—they find their need and desire for each other has morphed into something sexual. Despite trying to fight their incestuous feelings, they eventually succumb to their mutual yearnings and, in doing so, set in motion a complex chain of events that leaves every member of the Dunbar family untouched and unscathed.

My Thoughts

Right off the bat, readers should know that this book deals candidly and graphically with the subject of incest. However, it is important to know that this incendiary topic is dealt with sensitively. You won't find anyone condemning Flora more than Flora herself. The recent publication of Mackenzie Phillips's memoir, which details her incestuous relationship with her father, makes this book all the more timely.

That being said, the topic is still an uncomfortable one. It is hard to overcome society's taboos about incest and feel empathy for these characters. Ms. Gillard does a good job of creating fully realized characters, but, even without the incest aspect, both Flora and Rory are somewhat unlikable. In fact, Flora seems to go out of her way to make herself unattractive as a form of punishment for her self-loathing. And Rory is self-involved and arrogant—with only a few redeeming moments. A successful musician, Rory's primary concern and interest is his music and career. When this is threatened, he makes life a living hell for his family—including his long-suffering wife Grace. Of all the characters, I was most taken with Hugh—Flora's husband. However, even Hugh has his own secrets and "forbidden" longings to deal with.

This was one of three books I've read recently about twins (the others being I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger). I think choosing to have characters be twins is an interesting choice for authors, and one that leads to unusual relationships. In fact, the specter of incest plays a small role in I Know This Much Is True, and the relationship between the twins in Her Fearful Symmetry was unusual and almost inappropriate. I suspect the idea of having two separate people who share so much is an interesting one for authors to play with. If you are a twin, where do you begin and your twin end? Are you forever connected to your twin regardless of the different lives you choose? What if one twin wants something the other doesn't? How do twins overcome their unique "world of two" when they grow up?

All of these questions are dealt with at some level in A Lifetime Burning. In many ways, I think Rory and Flora didn't know how to be apart in a healthy way. When they grow up and become sexual beings, their love and need for each other almost inevitably takes on a sexual aspect—as if it was the next natural step in their relationship. Yet this relationship causes nothing but pain for those they love and complications that even they don't foresee.

From a structural viewpoint, the book moves back and forth through time and alternates between "real-time" narration and Flora's "beyond the grave" narration. For the most part, the book follows a linear timeline, but there are moments when it did jump way back and then way forward. It helped to have Flora's posthumous thoughts in a different typeface in order to keep it straight, but I do confess to being a bit disoriented in time at various points in the book. (Part of this could be due to the fact that I was interrupted from reading it for a lengthy time in the middle.)

My Final Recommendation

This is a provocative book, and I don't think it is everyone's taste. To be honest, I'm not even sure myself how I felt about it. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. The writing is good, but I didn't fall in love with the characters or feel a lot of sympathy for them. I also had a hard time believing that almost no one in the Dunbar family could find someone to love outside of their own family! However, if the story overview piques your interest or an exploration of incest or "twinness" is of interest to you, this book might be an interesting read.

Note: You should know that this book is not currently available in the United States. If you are interested in obtaining a copy, your bookstore should be able to order it or you can order directly from The Book Depository (which offers free shipping on all their books worldwide). ( )

My initial thoughts were that this would be a difficult book to read, because the timescales jump around all over the place. But I then realised this is actually a cleverly and intricately plotted book, and you don't have to pay vast amounts of attention to what year it is to follow the story.

And what a storyline! Without spoiling it for anyone, this is a book with some shocks and surprises. It's mainly about love and the tangled web of human relationships, and is another brilliantly written book from this author.

Linda Gillard manages to portray very flawed characters in a way that makes the reader understand totally the way they are behaving. I actually found it quite sad and moving in places, as the family was torn apart by revelations that were almost beyond anybody's control.

This writer is fast becoming one of my favourites, and I hope that she continues to write novels of this calibre. ( )

The subject of this book is SO wrong and it's told in such a wonderful way. Very difficult to review or give ratings. ( )