Twisted Branches by Rachel Knightley

I would like to thank the author for an advance copy of this collection In exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Black Shuck Books

Published – 26/10

Price – £11.99 paperback

Twisted Branches is a dark domestic noir on familial love, poisoned loyalty and how we, knowingly and unknowingly, mess up and light up each other's lives.

Artist and matriarch Effie clings to the house five generations of her family called home. But are its ghosts haunting her or is she summoning them? With Effie's death, rejected protégé Kerry-Alice and daughter-in-law Veronica fight to lay her influence to rest in their own lives, but who is truly haunted and who is doing the haunting?

We often struggle with the idea that we all change over time. Changes in how we approach the world over many years are made so slowly instinctively think we tend to think we are the same people we were when we were young - biased moi?! It’s the disconnect you may feel if you ever glance at a picture of your parents from before you were born as it is like seeing a stranger and yet someone you know. How did they get from there to here? How has our life experiences shaped the way we all behave – our fears, our passions and our triggers. In Twisted Branches by Rachel Knightley we are provided with a fascinating mosaic-like collection of linked short stories about one family over a fifty-year period where we get to understand all the secrets each member is hiding from the others.

In 2021 Effie artist, teacher and matriarch of her family dies. It is the end of many stories and the beginning of many more. Her estranged student and assistant Kerry-Alice ponders what led to her exile from the family. Her ex-daughter-in-law Veronica considers the future and past of her own role in the family. Secrets, misconceptions and occasionally the completely magical event have shaped various family member’s lives and decisions which have collided with various lives and created havoc, joy and hatred.

This is a hugely beguiling and refreshing approach to the generational family drama. Knightley has opted instead of a linear A to Z chronological tale of how Effie and her family came to be instead creating a much more tantalising non-linear collection of short tales. We zip backwards and forwards through time, shift perspectives, skip from tragedy, comedy to the supernatural and cleverly therefore each chapter is really a short story where we have to put the pieces together and see how the past and the future influence each other. We get to compare and contrast the many versions of a character that evolve over the years.

From the very first story we can see that Knightley has crafted a fascinating set of tales. A Mother telling her children about her favourite recipe for a late-night snack feels almost sweet but there is a subtle growing shadow to the story as we realise this is someone’s written message after they’re dead now being read with its observations on the family not always so sweet.. It sets up the various family members we will soo get to know. Knightley has crafted some fascinating tales from two strangers’ meetings for a moment of lust who suddenly realise that they may be in fact have a much deeper connection than either expected. There are even moments where a tale of a manipulative lover turns into something truly strange and unexpected, and all of these tales and tonal shift mean that as a reader we are never sure what happens next.

One key theme is how small secrets and mistakes are creating ripples affecting everything that follows. People fearful of their secrets being exposed make lies that make people jump to different conclusions which they then act on. The human impulse to believe the worst thing about someone rather than simply ask someone creates some fascinating fractures in relationships. The non-linear approach cleverly means we don’t get to the full bottom of things until we have gone through the whole cycle as opposed to many a generational tale where we go through days and years in order and see how one scene leads to the other. I much prefer Knightley’s approach as it keeps us on our toes go the very final revelation.

Twisted Branches is a fascinating and deliciously engrossing read. With a keen eye for how people behave and treat others. Inventive, powerful and thoughtful I hugely enjoyed it and it is also an example of how stories often have many beginnings and endings all entwined and linked to each other. Strongly recommended!