Instructions for a Heatwave is a novel by Maggie O’Farrell set in 1976 London during — believe this or not — a heatwave. That doesn’t have much to do with the novel, but it does lend itself to a clever title. I just wish the cover were a bit better. I liked this novel a lot, but this cover would not cause me to take a second look. But perhaps my words will. . . .
This is a family drama, not overly melo-dramatic, nor dysfunctional (no more than most families), but a story centered around how these adult siblings and their mother react when their father/husband Robert never comes back one day after going out for the paper.
The situations and characters rang so true. Micheal, the eldest, is so winsome as a man who isn’t sure what he wants or what he’s going to get out of his future. His wife seems to be having a mid-life crisis, cutting her hair and taking classes at the uni, and losing interest in him entirely. He isn’t sure what he thinks of her. He loves his family and his children, but he also resents them, since he had to give up his post-graduate studies when she got pregnant.
Monica is mother Gretta’s favorite, but doesn’t seem to be a very nice person. She is supposed to be the perfect one, but she’s obviously not happy. She is in a new marriage, trying to become a part of her two stepdaughters’ lives. She is holding a grudge against her younger sister, but the reader isn’t really privvy to why.
Aoife is one of the intriguing character to me, and the one through whom the story is told. Perhaps her sister’s disdain — the person who helped raise her — is one of the reasons she left New York for America. She calls and visits infrequently, but comes to London immediately when she hears about her father’s disappearance. The dynamic between the much-younger Aofie and her older brother, with whom she seems close, and her sister, whom she faces with the same stoney resistance that Monica gives her.
I love their interactions with each other and with their mother. She’s quirky and loud and though they are bothered by her, their knowledge and complete acceptance about who she is, rang true to me.
Did I mention that Robert disappeared? Yes, this is the catalyst to getting the family together under one roof and helps us see how they react under stress, but while I was curious about him and why he disappeared, and if he would come back, that wasn’t what pulled me through the story. I wanted to know about these people, particularly Aoife, who is dealing with a boyfriend — whether or not to take it to the next step — career problems that stem from her reading disability, and of course a sort of estrangement from her family.
All the characters were fully developed and experienced change as a result of this crisis, and the Robert issue was fully explored and resolved as well.