Not All There by Jane Barron de Burgh
Claude’s mother is dead.
Except she won’t stay that way.
She’s back with her family and none of them know what to do about it.
Is there a name for someone who is only sort of dead? And why does Claude feel like he’s the only one celebrating her return?
‘Not All There’ is a character study of grief and the people who experience it, told through the eyes of a bewildered child who struggles to make sense of the death of his mother, Mary and her re-emergence as a ghost.
Familial relationships are tested as Claude, Patience and their father try to answer the question - ‘What do we do about Mary?’
About the author
Jane Barron de Burgh is an Essex based author and poet. They graduated from the Open University with a Masters in English in 2022. They are a keen student of Oulipo and found poetry.
Published by Castle Priory Press, Not All There, is their first literary novella and deals with themes of childhood grief.
Jane’s Links
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janetheauthor
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556083952092
Twitter : https://twitter.com/makepeacelvjoy
Website : https://janebarrondeburgh.co.uk/
Review
‘Not All There’ is a poignant and touching examination into how grief affects people in different ways. Most of us will sadly relate to this book as we all suffer the loss of loved ones and I thought that this novella was especially well done.
Claude has lost his mother and he and his family are having to cope with carrying on with their lives. But there is one major hurdle - his mum, Mary is back in the house but she is a ghost. Claude is okay with this in a way but his sister and father are more freaked out by it.
For such a short piece of fiction, it really packs a punch to your solar plexus. I remember sitting in a crowded room after my mum passed away silent and letting everything just flow around me, much like Claude. I really resonated with his story. But I also related to his sister trying to organise and be strong and his father who kind of fell apart a bit.
This was a thought provoking read and I wools definitely read more from this author. Let me know if you pick it up!
