The Ripples and the Tapestries

Following the discovery of an author's hidden beliefs, and attempting to come to terms with the bleak existence that lies ahead without Cressida, Troy starts to read her secret manuscripts as a way of getting to know more of this closest and dearest of friends.

This novel contains many threads within its various plots - the storylines are about change and, therefore, hope. We are all born with the potential for both - within our personalities and what we make of the world into which we are born. The first manuscript shows the profound effects of one woman's arrogance and control - of her family and anyone else she encounters. Leaving a wide-spreading legacy of secrecy and spite, she enters an unexpected afterlife where she has to learn the consequences of her actions, so that she can eventually prepare to return and make amends in a different setting.

At first dismissive - both of the theme and not least the implications - searching for clues in the second manuscript, Troy discovers it is not just a tale but a description of Cressy's hitherto unknown and emerging beliefs. As the individual tapestries become interwoven, once the fictional family is helped, a global purpose emerges - all essential in order to make amends for the previous life.

Not only is it autobiographical, but people in Cressy's own life have been portrayed; which one is Troy? Tracking down the only living person who can shed light on this proves to be a rewarding experience, although strangely incomplete.

The reader is kept waiting for clues right to the end, when the threads of this particularly intriguing tapestry are drawn together, giving food for thought about many others - including our own.