Review by Julie Gardner of "The Box" by Susan Jordan

This novel tackles difficult themes but Susan Jordan’s experience as a psychotherapist means that she writes with authority and compassion. The two main characters are Richard, overwhelmed with grief after the sudden death of his wife, Kate, and Kate’s twin Jo whose already fragile mental health is at breaking point as she tries to deal, not only with the loss of her beloved sister, but also with emerging memories of traumatic events from their childhood. 

The novel is written in the third person but each chapter focusses on one of the key characters, mostly Richard and Jo, although three chapters are given up to Marian, the mother of the twins and one to Fran, Richard’s sister. This shifting perspective works well and the unfolding narrative provides insights into how different people deal with grief and trauma as well as suggesting ways in which well-meaning relatives, friends and even professionals can sometimes get it wrong. 

The box of the title contains Kate’s ashes and a thread running through the novel is the need Richard and Jo both feel to find the right place to scatter them. This provides a satisfying framework within which the story is told. Jordan avoids sentimentality and while the ending provides a satisfying conclusion to the narrative, it avoids being too neat.

About the reviewer
Julie Gardner is studying towards a PhD at Nottingham Trent University, focussing on Silence and Voice in the poetry of Vicki Feaver and her contemporaries. He poetry pamphlet Remembering was published by Five Leaves Publishers in 2024.

You can read a review of Remembering on Everybody's Reviewing here.