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Cass Wivenhoe and Kate Webster have been friends since they were young girls at school. They married within two weeks of each other and had their first babies close together. Their husbands are both British submariners. Loneliness, infidelity, and raising children alone are some of the many challenges naval wives face. Willett details these women’s problems, and shows how they overcome, or are defeated, by them. FIRST FRIENDS does not have a typical happy ending, but there is a sense of hope and redemption, and Willet ties up all the subplots neatly.
Vivid description of the English countryside, interesting dialogue, and finely drawn characters combine to make this a riveting story. Yet this was often a bumpy read, with many points of view (even scenes from a dog’s perspective), sometimes shifting between points of view within a paragraph. However, I found one form of this “head-hopping” intriguing. In a couple of scenes portraying a large group, the author shows the subtext of conversations in parentheses within the dialogue. This allows the reader to see what each person is really thinking while making polite small talk. I’d never seen this technique used, and found it worked well in small sections.
FIRST FRIENDS, first published in 1995, is one of several of the author’s early books that will be published by Thomas Dunne Books. Her more recent novels include A WEEK IN WINTER, A SUMMER IN THE COUNTRY, THE CHILDREN’S HOUR, and THE BIRDCAGE. I look forward to reading more of Willett’s work.
Reviewed by Marie DisBrow
for The Road to Romance
February 6, 2007
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