Novels surrounding the lives of Henry VIII and his six wives
are plentiful and, dare I say it, predictable and rather monotonous. It takes something special to pique my
interest in this particular historical period and Michele Kallio has delivered
in spades. Using a unique and complex
time-slip element, Michele has created a truly ground-breaking novel in this
sub-set genre of historical fiction which is saturated with poor quality,
repetitive stories.
The story unfolds using two parallel plotlines, one written
in the 21st Century, the other in the 16th. Lydia is a 21st century
medical secretary, married to a rather unpleasant doctor and suffers from
disturbing dreams that begin to affect her sanity. She dreams of a girl, of a prison cell, of a
beheading. A friend of her husband is a
psychologist who specializes in dream interpretation and past life
regression. Elisabeth Beeton is a 16th
Century woman noticed by King Henry VIII who picks her to be hand-maiden to his
new wife, Anne Boleyn. These two
plotlines collide as Lydia
tries to discover why these dreams plague her and, inadvertently, uncovers a
family secret that has been hidden for generations.
Michele Kallio certainly knows how to write a story, but I
do have concerns about the present day storyline. The characters need to develop further so
they complement the strong storylines.
There are times when you want to get a deeper insight into their
emotions and history, but you end up guessing what their motivations are rather
than glimpsing their real intentions.
Also there are scenes which could be removed as they play no real part
in the story. I can see the author has
used them to try and give the reader a sense of empathy with the characters;
however they actually serve no purpose and end up confusing you. In contrast, the 16th Century
element is tightly written, plotted superbly and you immediately feel a
connection with the characters and the heightened sense of fear and desperation
as Henry tries to beget a male heir.
Michele Kallio has written a novel that, in my opinion, with
some further work stands a good chance of being picked up by a literary
agent. As a whole, the work is above
average but with a professional copy-edit and some rewriting it could be
exceptional. The negative aspects I have
pointed out though, do not detract from the work as a whole and I am pleased to
give “Betrayal” 4 stars.
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