YSENDA MAXTONE GRAHAM has made a name for herself by writing bracing books addressing topics in 20th-century social history, ranging from boarding-school life to the traditional British summer holiday. Love Divine is her first venture into fiction. The setting is Lamley Green, a well-to-do village with an ancient church in need of a new parish priest, a primary school with an “Outstanding” Ofsted rating, and a fleet of colourful characters.
The heroine of the piece is the newly widowed Lucy. Her bereavement was entirely unexpected, leaving her shocked and tormented by unanswered questions about her husband’s recent behaviour. Nick was a churchgoer — he sang in the choir — but faith has never been Lucy’s bag. After his death, she finds herself reluctantly drawn in, for all her doubts and uncertainties.
Among her neighbours we meet Hugh, a dog-lover and Latin teacher, who is coming up to retirement after a long and happy career in a prep school; Elizabeth, who knows how things should be done and is keen on keeping up standards; Carol, plagued by loneliness and the overwhelming burden of keeping up with the world’s conflicts so that she can write informed prayers for Sunday worship; a brash newcomer, Chantelle, desperate to secure her daughter Jasmine a place at the primary school; and Vicki, hoping to set up a B&B business, but at the mercy of careless online reviewers.
The action, such as it is, spans a calendar year, during which Lucy begins to come to terms with Nick’s death. There are machinations in the appointment of the new rector, and other fallings-out and alliances within the village. The story is told from a number of different perspectives through a mix of emails, texts, and conversation. The multi-character narrative, the diary form, and the affectionate characterisation of the C of E will remind many readers of the novels of Catherine Fox.
This is a warm-hearted novel, portraying recognisable and all-too-human characters — and the author provides an ending that is compassionate and satisfying on many levels.
Sarah Meyrick is the Editor of the Church Times.
Love Divine: A novella
Ysenda Maxtone Graham
Slightly Foxed £22
(978-1-916803-04-6)
Church Times Bookshop £19.80