Review - Stay by Nicola Griffith

Title - Stay
Author - Nicola Griffith
Genre - Mystery
ISBN - 0-385-50300-8
Number of Pages - 303
2nd of 3 in series
rating - 5 out of 5


I am always worried about sequels. My experience has been that they are not as good as the original. Not so with with this one. If fact it is better than the first book --the Blue Place which I enjoyed.

Devastated by the death of her lover Julia, for which she blames herself, Aud Torvingin cocoons herself in a North Carolina mountain forest where she is painstakingly rebuilding an old log cabin. An old friend invades her cocoon to ask her to find his girlfriend. Aud reluctantly agrees and goes to New York and quickly finds the missing Tammy and then from that point on the book careens into high gear with Aud's grief transformed into vengeance.

This book rates among the top 5 I have read this year . Nicola Griffith has written an excellent novel that is complex and multi -faceted. Her character Aud is exquisitely portrayed as a woman coming to terms with the violence, brutality, tenderness, and vulnerability that are central to her character. Griffith's insight into the psychological aspects of grief and her ability
to give the reader a stunning sense of place through strong images of the North Carolina hideaway and gritty city life vividly reflect the inner tensions that fill Aud's life. Griffith also enables the reader to feel encouraged to hope for emotional resurrection for Aud. The writing is good. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.