Local librarian Hannah O’Brien says this thrilling book about relationships and identity was so compelling she read it in a day.
“The characters in this book are works of fiction. But then, isn’t everyone?”
Joanna Nadin, an author with over 90 books published, rarely branches into adult fiction, but in this case I’m glad that she did. The double life of Daisy Hemmings was a thrilling read about life, relationships and identity, all wrapped up in a mystery.
James Tate has been living a lie, he’s changed his life completely and nobody really knows who he is. He ghost writes books for celebrities, and sees it as a way to stay anonymous, never receiving the credit that he is due. That’s how he likes it – the less attention the better when your past won’t hold up to scrutiny. But when the opportunity arises to assist THE Daisy Hemmings, award-winning actress and a personal blast from the past, he can’t help but say yes.
Some 30 years earlier, in 1988, 17-year-old Jason longs for more from life. After the death of his mother there’s nothing keeping him in his dead-end Cornish town anymore, but there’s also no way out. He spends his days in fear of his father, an abusive alcoholic, working away his days in their pub, serving sour locals and dreaming of something more.
When twins, Daisy and Bea, arrive to spend their summer in the country it sets of a chain of events, changing all their lives forever. James gets to see how the upper-class live, with the wine always flowing and a party that never stops. He sees these people and their lives, and he craves what they have. He wants to be near them, to be with them, to be one of them.
When this book came into my local library the dreamy cover really pulled me in (sometimes even librarians judge a book by its cover)
Back in 2018, Daisy prepares to release an autobiography, and James Tate is believed to be the man for the job. Little does she know, he remembers more about her life than many others, but does she remember him?
In a narrative that flits between these two timeframes, and with James going from working for his father in their small-town pub, to becoming a well-paid a writer, we get to see what it takes to change your life completely. With the occasional chapter written in Bea’s perspective of the events that took place in the summer of 1988, we get a well-rounded view of James’s life, and how he ended up where he is.
This book isn’t my usual read, I’m usually much more of a fantasy girlie! But when this book came into my local library the dreamy cover really pulled me in (sometimes even librarians judge a book by its cover). I am glad it did – the narrative hooked me in straight away and I couldn’t put it down – I managed to finish it in a day. It was well paced, in a way that had you longing for more, and needing to know what happened all those years ago. There are twists and turns that you wouldn’t expect, and an overall feeling that in the end people can be whoever they want to be, for better or worse.
The Double Life of Daisy Hemmings is out now, published by Pan, and available in libraries and bookshops. Hannah O’Brien (pictured right) runs he instagram account @yourlocallibrarians along with her colleague Emily Wareing. Follow them for more books news and reviews.
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