I was excited when I picked up a copy of Louise Candlish’s latest novel, “The Heights”. Having enjoyed her previous novels, “The Swimming Pool” and “Our House” I had a feeling that this one was going to be just as good, and I wasn’t wrong.
The Heights refers to high rise apartment block in London where Ellen (the main character) spots a man who is meant to be dead… and thus begins the roller coaster ride that is this novel. The man in question is Kieran, a young man who was once the best friend of Ellen’s son. Ellen can’t stand Kieran as she feels that he was a bad influence on her son, Lucas. Because most of the story is told from Ellen’s point of view, we also form the same impression.
Throw into the mix, Vic, Ellen’s ex (and Lucas’s father) and you have a recipe for a story that is told from multiple viewpoints. Vic also has the same feelings about Kieran, but as the book progresses, you start to wonder if his point of view is as reliable…
But back to The Heights. Ellen happens to be there on that fateful day in her job as an interior lighting designer. She sees a glimpse of a familiar face, a sighting that kicks off the action. We know from the start that Ellen has gone to great lengths and has acted in a way that she wouldn’t normally act under normal circumstances. The rest of the novel unpacks that story that leads to this very moment.
If you didn’t think that was interesting enough, we also find out that Ellen has a strange form of acrophobia (fear of heights) called High Place Phenomenon. This means that she feels compelled to jump if she is in a high place like on the edge of a cliff or the roof of a building. I think the author added this detail to show that Ellen had to overcome a lot to make the decisions that she did.
I like the fact that this story is told from multiple perspectives – we mainly get Ellen and Vic’s perspective. I also think that we get a subtler sense of perspective from Justin, Ellen’s current partner and their daughter, Freya. Justin is often trying to be the placating voice of reason. Sometimes I could see where he was coming from, and other times it was irritating.
I would definitely recommend this book, particularly to readers who are quite partial to thrillers.
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