Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel

 

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan. New York: William Morrow, 2019. 322 pages, Meet the Author, About the Book, Read On. ****

Told in the alternating voices of child Tilly and adult Tilda, Hogan presents the complexities of a mother - daughter relationship. Seeing her childhood through the eyes of Tilly and her interpretation of the situations and events created by her mother and then to read her mother's journals forces Tilda to re-evaluate her memories and feelings. Tilda's boyfriend Daniel sums it up, "I think it's all about love." The outspoken, confident Tilly is hidden inside the quiet, awkward, insecure Tilda and the two become one when her mother's secrets are brought to light in her journals. Faced with uncomfortable facts, Tilda is determined to seek answers and to visit those who provided a safe environment for a troubled child.

I received a copy of this book as my November read for The Bee Keepers- The Book Hive Book Club Facebook Group.  When the book arrives each month chosen by someone else, I sometimes dread reading it because it is accompanied by a journal. I confess I rarely read what other's have written about it and may occasionally read what the owner has to say. I read for enjoyment and am not comfortable dissecting and answering questions. I have read many books and genres that I would not have chosen and have been pleasantly surprised. I enjoyed the way in which the story unfolds and the interconnectedness of the characters. The Paradise Hotel provides a safe haven and the perfect backdrop for a larger than life Queenie, Tilda and her mother.

Ruth Hogan's debut novel, The Keeper of Lost Things, was a Sunday Times #1 bestseller and translated into more than a dozen languages. She lives in Bedford, England, with her husband and a pack of much-loved rescue dogs.  

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