Review - Mr Peacock’s Possessions by Lydia Syson

Title: Mr Peacock's Possessions

Author: Lydia Syson

Pages: 432

Publisher: Zaffre

Release Date: 17th May 2018

Blurb from Goodreads:

Oceania 1879. A family of settlers from New Zealand are the sole inhabitants of a remote volcanic island.

 
For two years they have struggled with the harsh reality of trying to make this unforgiving place a paradise they can call their own. At last, a ship appears. The six Pacific Islanders on board have travelled eight hundred miles across the ocean in search of work and new horizons. Hopes are high for all, until a vulnerable boy vanishes. In their search for the lost child, settlers and newcomers together uncover far more than they were looking for. The island's secrets force them all to question their deepest convictions.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

 

*I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Bonnier Zaffre and NetGalley*

The Peacock family has lived on a small, remote, volcanic island in Oceania for two years.

The only settlers on the island, it has been hard for them to survive, and passing ships are extremely rare.

Then one day a ship arrives with supplies and several Pacific Islanders to help the Peacock's clear land.

But one of the sons, Albert, has gone missing.

Can they find Albert?

Is there more to the island than there seems?

The setting of 1800s Oceania was what drew me to Mr Peacock's Possessions, and it's probably my favourite thing about the book. Having lived in New Zealand for several years it was funny to recognise place names.

The island that the Peacocks lived on was an interesting place to set a novel. It was very remote and I can't begin to imagine how hard it must have been to live there. It made me feel really sorry for the characters.

The characters were interesting. I think Lizzie and Kalala were my favourites.

The plot was enjoyable and quite dark in places. I guessed one of the plot twists, and nothing that happened surprised me all that much, but the book held my interest and I wanted to see what happened next.

The writing style took a while for me to get into, but I would be interested in reading more by the author.

I would love to know what happened to the characters after the novel ended.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.