Amazon.com.au:Customer reviews: The Thing About Clare

Reviewed in Australia on 19 January 2019

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read: sibling rivalry combined with skeletons in the closet. A beautifully crafted story about a family secret which wreaks havoc when it is revealed... The family dynamics are wonderfully realistic and the years in which the book is set are evocative.

Every family has secrets and most people are intrinsically drawn and curious to unearth them and every family has at least one walking disaster...
‘An argument was never very far away from her sister. Even when they were kids, Clare could start a row in an empty room. It was funny how they’d all just grown up into older versions of how were they were as children.’

Clare was an imposing piece of work as even in childhood, she had rebelliously pushed every boundary and as an adult, she was irresponsible, unpredictably volatile and self-destructive.
‘Thank the Lord that her own parents hadn’t been around to see how Clare was turning out. She could virtually feel the breeze that was coming off her father spinning in his grave.’

For me the strength of this book is in the characters of the siblings who all need one another whether they like it or not. Each section was told from a different point of view which worked well both in terms of keeping up momentum as well as highlighting that sometimes the people we think we know the best can really surprise us. The well-observed little details of family life add depth to a well-paced plot which keeps you guessing until the end. ‘The Thing About Clare’ is a wonderful treat.

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Dianne Guthrie

Family saga

Reviewed in Australia on 7 November 2018

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Not my usual reading at all as I prefer murder mysteries , but this book held my interest all the way through.
The characters were just so believable and it was interesting seeing the dynamics between the 4 siblings through thick and thin.

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Thought-provoking

Reviewed in Australia on 13 November 2018

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THE THING ABOUT CLARE was my Kindle First selection for this month and, though this is completely out of my usual genre, I thought the premise sounded rather interesting. Though I do have to say I correctly guessed what "the thing about Clare" actually was before it was even introduced into the story! That being said, it didn't ruin the story for me as I do love trying to figure out what secrets are what and the fact that I often do never spoils the story. I just enjoy the journey.

This book is about family, secrets and the journey of four siblings - Miriam, Clare, Anna and Sebastian. Their parents Dorothy and Frank feature heavily in the "past" chapters, beginning with the siblings as children, in which the story unfolds over the course of their lifetime.

The story begins with Anna, the third sibling, in 2015. Their mother Dorothy has just passed away and the introductory chapter was her funeral, and as the chapter is titled, is from Anna's perspective. I found it heavy in monologue to begin with as Anna muses over her thoughts and emotions - some of which I found slightly irrelevant to the point of irritating in part - but it does give us a vivid picture of her perspective. Particularly as she recounts her mother Dorothy's request regarding the will and the letter. And you just know that, despite trying to maintain respect for her mother, she won't be able to resist reading the letter - which is addressed to Clare. I mean, could you? I could understand Anna's reasoning behind why she decided to read it - to protect Clare - but you just know it is going to blow up in her face when Clare and the others find out. So Anna then faces the conundrum of what to do. However, it's not until over halfway through the book - after the past has been revisitedup to the present as the story unfolds - do we discover that Anna actually does have the will and the letter. So of course, the reader does not learn of its contents until over halfway through.

When the story first shifts back to the past, we are transported back to 1961 and Dorothy's POV as she recounts her story as a new mum to the very demanding and painfully teething Miriam. The Dorothy we meet in the beginning is certainly a different Dorothy we meet as the years progress through the various perspectives. She is a new mum, alone with husband Frank away working, and completely unsure of her own ability as a mother. It is then we also meet their somewhat nosy neighbour Mrs Connors (whose first name escapes me now), and it is somewhat comforting to note that they remain neighbours for the next 50 odd years. Although a background character, Mrs Connors does feature a little more profoundly at the Silver Jubilee when a very unexpected and surprising event occurs - shocking everyone!

As the years go by and the story continues to unfold we meet each of the siblings and are privvy to their own private thoughts and perspectives. Clare's is somewhat tumultuous as she herself is the most colourful of the siblings. They say that there is something about the middle child and Clare crammed into that mould and promptly broke it. She was "the black sheep" and felt like she didn't belong for most of her life. It led to bad decisions and even worse lifestyle choices as she continued to drift through life, and in and out of everyone else's, for pretty much most of the duration. She was the most volatile, defensive and pretty much almost always angry. Is it just middle child syndrome or something much more? Whatever it is, it was plain to everyone that there was just something about Clare.

The story examines the relationship between the siblings and their parents, tackling the difficult times as well as the fond memories. Family dynamics are always different and can often be a minefield with each child having their own unique characteristics. THE THING ABOUT CLARE examines those as well as being a journey of discovery for everyone involved. We learn the idiosyncrasies and the personas of each of the siblings, and often during the story we find ourselves as frustrated as each of the siblings. This story is their journey and as we are privvy to their perspectives we share the journey with them.

Once the story comes full circle again to the present day in 2015, we also feel their pain and their grief after the loss of their mother. Just before we reach this point we do meet up with Anna and Dorothy in 2014, just a year previous, where we discover that Dorothy has had a stroke and is now in a care home. I found this scene a little sad as it was clear that in her 80s Dorothy was nearing the end of her life, and just that knowledge alone is saddening after a lifetime of memories. Dorothy struggles to speak but she does - enough to bestow her request of the will to her favourite child. Then fast forward a year and the siblings are at her funeral. Mrs Connors is still a fixture, with her own two cents thrown in, but the siblings decline her offer to help clear out the house.

I did find the scenes where the siblings were sorting through a lifetime of their parents' belongings and memories particularly heartbreaking. It is something I myself dread because in doing so it is with the knowledge that your parents are gone...and with them a lifetime of memories. But as one grows older, if we are lucky enough to still have our parents with us, we also are fully aware that that will not last forever and one day in the not too distant future we too will be saying our last goodbye to them too. And it was this aftermath that broke my heart the most. We journeyed with them all through the years that as the reader we too felt the pain of Dorothy's passing, as inevitable as it must be.

I did have a complaint about one flaw. I don't know where it came from or what happened to it but at one point Dorothy is ticking off a mental list of who is attending Anna's 30th birthday and she mentions "Melissa". I had to stop and think who on earth was Melissa. As she also mentioned Sebastian's new girlfriend Tessa for the first time, I admittedly thought that maybe Melissa was Anna's "partner" as the way she recounted them was as "Anna and Melissa". But there was no further mention of Melissa. She didn't attend the party, and she was never mentioned again. So I have no idea where she came from or what her role was, but to me it appeared she was a mistake since she never featured anywhere again. This error cost this wonderful story a star in my opinion, because while I can overlook many others that always pop up in ebook editions, I cannot overlook that. It was a costly mistake that in the end was irrelevant to the entire story.

Overall, THE THING ABOUT CLARE was a beautifully written drama about families - in particular, siblings - of life, love and the imperceptible bond between them. I thought it was a lovely thought provoking story, not my usual genre, but enjoyable all the same. I was unable to put it down in the end, reading well into the night.

It is unlike me to purchase a book without knowing anything about the Author or their style, but in this case I did and I am surprisingly glad. I really enjoyed the story and the journey it took me on. Definitely recommend!

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Constance Leonard

Fantastic Read

Reviewed in Australia on 5 January 2019

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Beautifully written - the story travels across many decades and is told from the different perspectives of members of the same family. This book kept me engrossed from start to finish! Easy to follow and seamlessly flowing, it was a real pleasure to read (made even more special by the fact that I read it on tropical South Pacific Island paradises) I would highly recommend.

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Terry Tee

Are families so self absorbed?

Reviewed in Australia on 28 March 2019

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This is a self absorbed novel of the emotional turmoil of a family of three girls, one boy and their parents over five decades. It is indicated early on that the genetic origin of Clare, the second eldest is in doubt, and suggested that this may be the cause of her errant behaviour. However all the siblings are subjected to their own psychological traumas and how these play off against each other and their mother. The story eventually involves the death of the mother and the the revelation of ‘the thing about Clare’.
We are given a hint or two of the outside world so we know of the times over which the story takes place but it is as though the family and its emotional miseries,( and it is not a happy tale,) are insulated from that world.
I just don’t believe it.

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Kindle Customer

A good read

Reviewed in Australia on 29 September 2019

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I enjoyed this story of family life, and ups and downs. The dynamic among the 4 siblings was interesting and I must say I look at my own children more closely since reading this book. I enjoyed the storyline and found it compulsive. Look forward to reading this author again as I really like her style.

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MRS D E ROSTRON

Brilliant... loved it

Reviewed in Australia on 25 December 2018

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Hi Imogen Clark
I have just finished he thing about Clare and really loved loved loved it ❤️
Easily my favourite read of 2018 😊
I am the youngest of 6 siblings so really understand and can relate to the complex relationships and loyalty this brings x
Thank you for such a great read 📚

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A very compelling read.

Reviewed in Australia on 12 June 2019

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What can I say? I wasn't sure if I was going like this, but it wasn't long before I was embroiled in the well told story.
It's about sibling rivalry between three sisters and their brother, and a secret kept by their mother until after her death.
There is sadness as well as laughter; a great read.

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Essie

the thing about clare

Reviewed in Australia on 6 October 2019

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i cant believe i kept reading this book of boring ramblings . i think i was hoping it would get better as it went along. i predicted the obvious ending. i wish i could give it a minus rating.

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Anne Moorhouse

Family saga

Reviewed in Australia on 11 June 2019

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Well crafted, well developed characters, though perhaps a little predictable. This was my second book by Imogen Clark and I have to admit to preferring Postcards from a Stranger. I will look for more as I enjoy this author’s style or writing.

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5 star		27%
4 star		40%
3 star		24%
2 star		6%
1 star		2%

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