You may think that the dual-timeline historical fiction novel has had its moment. But recently there have been a number of novels which have played with the braided, three-narrative structure. While difficult to pull off, these blends of historical fiction and mysteries that span across time are very popular, especially with readers who enjoy the work of writers like Natasha Lester and Kate Morton.
But with so many writers now turning their pens to the past, it can be easy to miss a real gem. Take for example Amanda Geard, whose second novel The Moon Gate was released in late 2023. Geard, who is Australian-born but Ireland-based previously published a novel called The Midnight House in 2022. Alongside being a writer, she is also a geologist.
The Moon Gate is the story of a house on the remote Tasmanian coast, and three women who lived there. It begins in 1939, when English heiress Grace Grey is evacuated from London to live with her uncle. While living in Australia, she meets and falls in love with an Irish neighbour named Daniel, though the advent of the Second World War soon pulls them apart.
Strand two of the novel is set in 1975 when artist Willow Hawkins and her writer husband, Ben, are called to a lawyer’s office and told that they have been left a house by a mysterious benefactor. The mystery person could be a relative of either one of them. But it isn’t until Ben has an accident in the forest surrounding the house and discovers a terrible secret that either one of them begin to probe deeper into the history of Towerhurst.
Finally, in 2004, Ben and Willow’s daughter Libby travels to London in order to finish an investigation that her father began thirty years prior. She’s always felt frustrated by this investigation, as it led her father to London where he was killed in a subway accident shortly before Libby was born.
How are the three strands connected? Who bequeathed Ben and Willow the house? And what happened to Grace and Daniel? The reader will be compelled to stay up late into the night reading in order to find out.
The Moon Gate is a satisfying and well-plotted mystery, and its three protagonists beckon the reader to come along on the journey with them. I enjoyed the extra details that Geard used to evoke her setting, like those of the Tasmanian timber and copper mining industries in the 1939 section of the novel, and her inclusion of ‘bush poetry’. Though there were many characters, even the most minor of supporting roles was fleshed out.
This novel felt like something fresh and new in a genre that can often be extremely tropey and is known for relying on cliches at times. Geard’s writing was descriptive without being overblown, and the book was paced and structured in such a way that though the novel is about five hundred pages long, reading it felt effortless.
Pick this one up if you enjoy Kate Morton or Tea Cooper.
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Amanda Geard’s The Moon Gate is available now from Hachette Australia. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
