Dale Harcombe's Reviews > Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase

The opening of a letter from 1941 found inside a book had me immediately interested. I wanted to know more about Dorothea and Jan Pietrykowski, even though I had my own thoughts about what might have happened, which were not far from the truth. Books with family secrets nearly always make for good reading. I liked the premise of Roberta who finds the letter in the course of her work at the Old and New Bookshop and the way a number of the chapters begin with another letter or postcard found inside a book. None though, are as significant as that first one Roberta finds. For that one concerns her own family.
The novel goes back in time to uncover the meaning of the letter, the events leading up to it and the lives of those affected by it. The reader learns about Roberta's life as well as Dorothea's life. Except for some of the bad language and a rape scene, it was an enjoyable read most of the time but somehow not completely gripping. The main reason for me was that while the story was interesting, I didn’t particularly like or connect with any of the characters. Since this is not a novel of action but more a character study, to not connect well with the main characters lessens the impact. Though curious and interested enough in the story to read to the end, I never became emotionally involved. Maybe it was me, but I was left feeling a little disappointed despite evocative prose. ‘Another wash day, a dull mid-November morning, winter hanging over the world’s window like a threadbare curtain.’ Lines like this were not quite enough to redeem my lack of empathy for the characters. Others may feel differently though.