The Missing World

Starred review from January 3, 2000
The title of Livesey's new novel (after Criminals), another intriguing exploration of interlocking lives, refers to the memory lapse suffered by 31-year-old journalist Hazel Ransome after she is struck by a car. When she awakes in the hospital, her amnesia blocks out the previous three years, including the fact that she had left her erstwhile lover, Jonathan Littleton, because he had tried to exert sinister control over her life. To Jonathan, an insurance claims adjuster, Hazel's memory gap is a boon; he makes her a virtual prisoner in his house in North London while attempting to keep her in the dark about the circumstances that led to her departure. Gradually disclosing small but chilling details, Livesey reveals Jonathan's psychotic personality and his barely suppressed rage and need for dominance, while integrating the stories of several other characters who will precipitate a crisis in Jonathan and Hazel's relationship. Freddie Adams, a 6'2" African-American graduate of Stanford barely making a living as a roofer, is subject to paralyzing depressions; he feels an immediate empathy with Hazel when he comes to the house to make repairs. Chronically out-of-work actress Charlotte Granger, a liar and a drinker, also comes into Hazel's life, via her no-nonsense sister, who is Hazel's nurse. Inverting Hazel's amnesia, both Freddie and Charlotte are tortured by memories they would obliterate if they could. Former actor Donald Early, who now constructs plastic heads for films and TV; Jonathan's next door neighbor, Mrs. Craig, who does yoga and Eastern meditation; and Hazel's duplicitous friend Maud complete the circle, which locks together in a bedroom scene that comes close to erotic farce: it's the only part of the book that stretches credulity. Adroitly paced, meticulously plotted and increasingly suspenseful, the novel transcends its genre as psychological thriller. Livesey's characterizations are rich and resonant, imbuing the narrative with integrity and complexity. Once again, she has written a book that begs to be read in one sitting, and rewards with insights into the hidden wellsprings of human behavior.

January 1, 2000
When Hazel Ransome, a freelance journalist, is hit by a car and loses her memory of the past three years, her ex-lover Jonathan seizes the opportunity to gain a second chance with her. As Hazel convalesces in the London home they shared for four years, Jonathan, an insurance claims adjuster and bee-keeper, tries desperately to keep her from discovering the mistake he made that caused her to leave him the previous year. When her best friend, Maud, fails to help her piece together the events of her recent past, Hazel finds unlikely allies in two fellow Londoners who are struggling to keep their own too-vivid memories from overwhelming them. Livesey (Criminals), a native of Scotland, spins a suspenseful tale full of bright, believable characters. Recommended for all fiction collections.--Jane la Plante, Minot State Univ. Lib., ND

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 1999
Livesey's latest is a study in frustration, focusing on intelligent, mostly likable characters who just can't get their lives in order. Hazel loses three years of her past when a traffic accident wipes out her memory. She doesn't remember that she and Jonathan quarreled, and she moved out of their apartment. All she knows is that he has dropped everything to care for her. But she becomes a virtual prisoner when Jonathan decides he can't let her out of his sight for fear someone will "remind" Hazel of what really happened. Jonathan employs Charlotte, who's deep in debt and frantic for love, to entertain Hazel while he's at work. Freddie comes to fix Jonathan's roof and becomes obsessed with the notion that Hazel needs to be "rescued." How the lives of these four characters entwine, shift, twist, and dissolve is the focus of this engrossing tale. One can almost smell the scents of failure and unhappiness wafting from the pages. A masterfully written psychological study that will appeal to fans of P. D. James and Ruth Rendell. ((Reviewed November 1, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)