Although I’ve met lovely Linda Huber, and she’s featured several times on Linda’s Book Bag in posts you’ll find here, I’ve never actually got round to reading one of her books before so when Hobeck‘s Rebecca Collins got in touch to see if I’d like to participate in the blog tour for Linda’s The Un-Family, I jumped at the chance. Thanks to Rebecca for sending me a copy of The Un-Family in return for an honest review which I’m delighted to share today to start off the tour.

The Un-Family is published tomorrow, 15th November 2022 by Hobeck and is available for purchase here.

The Un-Family

For better, for worse

Wildlife vet Holly’s life seems blissful: husband Dylan is the man of her dreams, she has a rewarding career and a lovely home. And yet, a tiny niggle is growing daily. Dylan is becoming increasingly remote – but why? Holly is determined to mend the fissure in their relationship. But a shocking discovery changes everything…

Family ties

Then there’s Dylan’s family: his wayward twin Seth and their widowed mother Elaine, who is rather fond of a glass or two of sherry. Nothing in Elaine’s life is easy, bringing up teenage granddaughter Megan while the family grieves the loss of Megan’s mother.

Family lies

A tragic event rocks the foundations of the family, and Holly’s life starts to unravel. Dylan drifts ever further away. Megan is left uncertain and alone, while Seth falls deeper into himself.

The bonds that once bound the family together are breaking. Can they ever be repaired?

My Review of The Un-Family

Holly and Dylan’s relationship is under strain.

The Un-Family starts and ends in dramatic fashion that I found both exciting and engaging, but it is the bulk of the story where action is less fast paced that is so fascinating because Linda Huber explores the psychology of family and relationships with absolute authority. She made me rage as I wanted Holly to be more assertive in her marriage to Dylan to the extent that I was ready to climb into the pages and shake her until her teeth rattled and yet I understood completely her hesitance, her desperation for her marriage to work and her reluctance to upset an obviously volatile man.

The reasons for Dylan’s volatility are gradually uncovered in an intelligent and well structured narrative that builds his character through a dual timescale illustrating his relationship with his twin Seth and his mother. The Un-Family is a vivid insight into nature versus nurture as well as into rationality and revenge that makes it actually quite chilling.

All the characters in The Un-Family are multi-layered and complex but realistic and authentic. I was especially impressed by Megan because I often find teenage characters too young or too old for their chronological age in fiction. Here Megan is pitch perfect. I loved the way she is also often the unwitting catalyst for action because through her Linda Huber illustrates how life can turn in an instant. The author gives credibility and status to Megan that feels respectful and real.

The themes of The Un-Family are equally multi-layered and complex. Certainly there is family upbringing and its impact on individuals at the heart of the story, but also an exploration of what family actually is. As a result of the narrative the reader comes to understand that family may not be those with whom we share a genetic link. In addition, the story contemplates love, addiction, obsession and trust so that I found myself thinking about its themes after I’d finished reading.

I found The Un-Family interesting, entertaining and thought provoking. Mind you, I won’t be taking up kayaking but you’ll need to read The Un-Family to find out why!

About Linda Huber

Linda Huber is an ex-physiotherapist who grew up in Glasgow but has lived over half her life in Switzerland, where she writes psychological suspense novels as Linda Huber as well as feel-good novellas under her pen name Melinda Huber.

Linda has been writing since she was a child, getting inspiration from everyday events and conversation and always asking: What If?

The inspiration for her books comes from everyday life – a family member’s struggle with dementia, the discovery that a child in her extended family drowned in the 1940s, and more.

She is currently enjoying life on the banks of lovely Lake Constance.

You can visit Linda’s website, find her on Facebook and follow her on Instagram and Twitter @LindaHuber19.

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