What makes somebody absent themselves from everyday life, from their family, job, friends? It's an intriguing question and one that doesn't have an obvious answer. On the day of her daughter Emilia's 13th birthday, Rachel Morris leaves the pub where she lives and works and takes a tent to the bottom of the garden, choosing to live there in complete silence. What seems like a strange phase goes on to motivate women around the world to join her in silence and in what becomes the Community. Some might choose to call it a cult, especially when thousands of women join Rachel in burning themselves to death. This is pretty shocking stuff!

What makes this book quite unique is the fact that it's fiction but it's written as though it's Emilia's memoir. I both liked and disliked this method of telling the story. The dislike, I suspect, is rooted in the fact that I'm not a great fan of non-fiction and there are large parts of this book that really do read like a true account. Even now, I can't help wondering if Rachel of Chalkham, as she became known, was real, and whether the burning really did happen. More regular non-fiction readers, therefore, might find they enjoy the sections that feel particularly factual (there are even citations with references to articles, books etc).

What I liked was the story overall which felt different to others that I've read, and when it dipped more towards a fictional style I really loved Emilia's account of life with, and without, her mother, how she dealt with before and after 'the event' and how the whole experience affected her later decisions.

Carole Hailey's writing is extremely good and it's hard to believe this is a debut. If it was real, the facts would be truly horrifying. As it is, even though I knew it was a work of fiction, I still felt shocked by the decisions that Rachel made and the effects of her actions. If this book had been written completely as a story I think I would have found it more to my taste but I can't deny it's a compelling read that will stay with me. ( )