Impossible Causes

by Julie Mayhew

Overview

For readers of All the Missing Girls and You Will Know Me, Impossible Causes is a gripping, claustrophobic thriller about isolation, power, and the lies that fester when witnesses stay silent.

For seven months of the year, the remote island of Lark is fogbound, cut off completely from the mainland.

Three strangers arrive before the mists fall: Ben Hailey, a charismatic teacher looking to make his mark, teenager Viola Kendrick, and her mother, both seeking a place to hide from unspeakable tragedy.

As the winter fog sets in, the presence of the newcomers looms large in this tight-knit community. They watch as their women fall under the teacher's spell. And they watch as their daughters draw the mysterious Viola into their circle. The girls begin to meet furtively at night, dancing further and further away from the religious traditions that have held Lark together for generations.

But when a body is found one morning at the girls' meeting place, high up among the sacred stones of Lark, faith turns instantly to suspicion and fear. For the island is weighted with its own dark secrets, and now it is time for them to come into the light.

Eerie and menacing, timely and moving, Impossible Causes is an unputdownable thriller that examines the consequences of silence kept at young women's expense.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635573251
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	11/19/2019
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.80(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Julie Mayhew is the author of the young adult novels Red Ink and The Big Lie. She is also a prolific writer for radio and has twice been nominated for Best Original Drama at the BBC Audio Drama Awards for her plays. She lives in Hertfordshire, England, with her family.
Website: www.juliemayhew.co.uk, Twitter: @juliemayhew

Editorial Reviews

09/02/2019

YA author Mayhew (The Big Lie) makes her adult debut with an atmospheric, if disjointed, thriller set on Lark, an isolated island off the English coast that’s home to St. Rita’s School. Teenager Viola Kendrick and her mother come to Lark to escape a family tragedy that has shattered them, arriving on the last boat before the fog descends that cuts off the island from the mainland for seven months. Viola spies on the three “Eldest Girls” from St. Rita’s, who spend their time in the hills performing rituals and fantasizing about sex. Unlike the black hair of the Lark natives, Viola’s vibrant red locks label her a “coycrock,” or intruder from the mainland. She longs to be accepted by the elders, and eventually is. Meanwhile, handsome Ben Hailey, St. Rita’s only male teacher, and Leah Cedars, the school’s head teacher, fall in love, creating petty jealousies that lead to murder. The characters’ indistinguishable sameness and awkward shifts between past and present will have readers scrambling to keep the story straight and understand whose voice is telling it. That said, Mayhew delivers some memorably creepy moments. Agent: Louise Lamont, LBA Books. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Atmospheric and downright creepy." - BookPage

"This highly imaginative novel and its meticulously created community of characters was an addictive read with twists and turns and a wonderful sense of place. Beautifully written, beguiling and compelling.” —Lisa Ballantyne, author of The Guilty One

“The picture that emerges is an important one, concerning itself with the external governance of women's bodies, their actions and their fates.” —New York Times Book Review

“When newcomers move to an isolated island, old secrets threaten long-established order in this engrossing psychological thriller with hints of magic. . . Engaging characters, well-crafted suspense, and a tone of growing, claustrophobic dread add up to an effective thriller.” —Kirkus

“[Impossible Causes] effectively probes the teenage psyche while offering a compelling look at the perils of an insular society. . . a teenage heroine and a chilling tale of murder on an isolated island off the coast of England will draw YA suspense fans.” —Booklist

“Impossible Causes is a haunting work, filled with explorations into the power of lies, the consequences of silence, and the intensity that can envelop the relationships between teenage girls – a book that feels at once timeless and very modern.” —BookTrib

“A beautiful piece of writing — hypnotically convincing, eerie and disturbing. Mayhew is a voice I long to hear more of.” —Alex Marwood, author of The Wicked Girls

“Claustrophobic… well-written… the final scene is chilling.” —Literary Review

“Both poignant and thrilling.” —Crime Monthly, 4 stars

From the Publisher

2019-09-02
When newcomers move to an isolated island, old secrets threaten long-established order in this engrossing psychological thriller with hints of magic.

This is the first novel for adults by British YA author Mayhew (The Electrical Venus, 2018, etc.). Many of its characters, though, are teens; one of its dual protagonists is teenager Viola Kendrick. After a personal disaster, Viola's mother hears a radio show about Lark, an isolated island in the North Sea. The tight-knit, religious community there is cut off from all outside contact each year from August to April. Viola and her mother, who's suffering from depression, arrive just in time for the school year, as does another outsider, teacher Ben Hailey. The island's only school hasn't had a male teacher in living memory. Its only male staffer is the headmaster, Jacob Crane, who is the most powerful man on the island. But the handsome new science teacher soon charms everyone, particularly the book's other protagonist, teacher Leah Cedars, who narrates her chapters in first person. Leah is a "pure catch," as Lark natives are called, with distinctive ink-black hair; although she knows it will draw disapproval, she falls hard for Hailey. Viola is interested in their relationship, but she's more obsessed with the Elder Girls, as the three senior girls in the school are called. Britta Sayers, Jade-Marie Ahearn, and Anna Duchamp are behaving strangely, and Mr. Hailey seems to be involved. The rumors are that the girls might be practicing old pagan ways, and Viola's spying seems to confirm it, although what is driving them to rebel is a mystery. Then someone dies. Mayhew moves the plot around in time, beginning with the discovery of the dead body and then shifting back months to the outsiders' arrival. Dates on each chapter help keep the complex structure moving smoothly.

Engaging characters, well-crafted suspense, and a tone of growing, claustrophobic dread add up to an effective thriller.

Kirkus Reviews

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