Book Description:

Lizzie Thomson has landed her first job as a music teacher, and after a whirlwind romance with Markus, the newlywed couple move into a beautiful new home in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Lizzie quickly befriends their neighbour Morag, an elderly, resourceful yet lonely widow, whose own children rarely visit her. Everything seems perfect in Lizzie’s life until she finds out she is pregnant and her relationship with both Morag and Markus change beyond her control.

Book Description:

Lizzie Thomson has landed her first job as a music teacher, and after a whirlwind romance with Markus, the newlywed couple move into a beautiful new home in the outskirts of Edinburgh. Lizzie quickly befriends their neighbour Morag, an elderly, resourceful yet lonely widow, whose own children rarely visit her. Everything seems perfect in Lizzie’s life until she finds out she is pregnant and her relationship with both Morag and Markus change beyond her control.

Can Lizzie really trust Morag and why is Markus keeping secrets from her?

In The Memories We Bury the author explores the dangerous bonds we can create with strangers and how past memories can cast long shadows over the present.

Can Lizzie really trust Morag and why is Markus keeping secrets from her?

In The Memories We Bury the author explores the dangerous bonds we can create with strangers and how past memories can cast long shadows over the present.

My Review:

 I thoroughly enjoyed The Memories We Bury and I like H.A. Leuschel’s writing style. This is a riveting psychological read, with thoroughly rounded characters and an absorbing plot, sensitively woven throughout with themes of personal insecurity, trust, hope, duplicity and lies

There are two main characters, Lizzie, the insecure young woman with a small baby, whose own childhood was blighted by manipulating mother. Now she is left to struggle mostly alone with motherhood by a husband who is only concerned with himself and his work and his life away from home.

The second character is Morag, a retired nurse and neighbour of Lizzie. From the start of the story the reader is led to believe that this older woman with be a godsend to the young mother; she is the support, the ever-available friend, always anxious to help.

Character led novels are my favourite and I was not disappointed in The Memories We Bury. Indeed the title itself give more than a hint that there are many layers to these two lonely women and, gradually, each character is shown through the spoken and internal dialogue – excellently written.

Each chapter has the alternating points of view from Linzie and Morag and is evenly paced as the tension is slowly but surely ramped up. Through the narrative the author reveals the background of both characters, exposing their frailties and insecurities that controls the way they behave towards one another. The husband is, in a way, used by each as a foil but it is struggle between them that is the main battle of wills.

 The setting of this novel is mainly of the houses of the characters and, though giving a great sense of place, seemed, to me to be secondary to the story. This is not a criticism, indeed, I felt it added to the claustrophobic feeling in this emotional read

 This is a shorter review than I normally write. This in no way detracts from H.A. Leuschel’s novel and I thoroughly recommend The Memories We Bury to any reader who enjoys a compelling psychological read.

About the author:

Helene Andrea Leuschel gained a Master in Journalism & Communication, which led to a career in radio and television in Brussels, London and Edinburgh. She later acquired a Master in Philosophy, specializing in the study of the mind.

Helene has a particular interest in emotional, psychological and social well-being and this led her to write her first novel, Manipulated Lives, a fictional collection of five novellas, each highlighting the dangers of interacting with narcissists.

She lives with her husband and two children in Portugal. Please find out more about Helene at heleneleuschel.com or on Facebook and Twitter.