The Light That Bends Rounds Corners by Alexandra Carey

 

The Light that Bends Round Corners by Alexandra Carey.

Published 22nd November 2023 by Book Guild Publishing.

From the cover of the book:

Laura, a successful fashion journalist based in London, finds herself uprooted from the world she knows and loves after she moves with her husband and two small children to a dilapidated bungalow in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Behind the house is an overgrown garden inhabited by monkeys, snakes and monitor lizards. A swimming pool sits in the shade of a beautiful jacaranda tree.

Mariel, the Filipina maid Laura hires, hasn’t seen her own children for nearly ten years. She’s on a mission to escape her abusive past and finally marry the man she loves despite an ongoing battle against prejudice.

Laura’s journey is one of self-discovery, Mariel’s is a fight for a better life.

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When Laura's husband receives a job opportunity too good to refuse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, she finds herself torn away from her fulfilling job as a successful fashion journalist in London, and plunged into the ex-pat life. Suddenly expected to take on the unfamiliar role of stay at home mother to their two small children, in a ramshackle house with an overgrown jungle for a garden (complete with an alarming array of wildlife), Laura struggles to get to grips with life in a strange country.

Mariel, a Filipina maid, comes to work for the family. She has problems of her own to contend with as a foreign worker, but is determined to provide a better life for herself and the children she has not seen for over nine years, and to finally escape her abusive marriage and marry the man she loves here in Malaysia.

In this debut novel, Alexandra Carey draws on her own experiences as an ex-pat living in Malaysia to write a compelling story about two women from very different backgrounds thrown together by need.

The book begins in 2006 when Laura and her family arrive in Kuala Lumpur for an adventure that proves to be a lot more challenging for her than she has anticipated. The reality of living in a run-down house with a tropical garden and strange assortment of flora and fauna (not all of it friendly), while caring for two small children who have previously been the province of a live-in nanny, is not quite the romantic prospect she was hoping for. Mariel arrives, after a complicated process bearing an uncomfortable similarity to the transfer of ownership, and she takes charge of the house and children, much to Laura's relief - but it is soon apparent that Mariel has many trials to surmount in her own search for happiness too.

The story unfurls in a slow-burn, dual narrative that provides a stark contrast between the attitudes and expectations of Laura and Mariel. For Laura, negotiating the complex workings of a strange country, combined with the loss of purpose she feels in having had to give up her high-flying career, gradually begins to overwhelm her, sending her into a spiral of depression. Carey examines many relatable themes through her story, in terms of marriage, motherhood, and self-worth, which become part of her journey of self-discovery, but inevitably she sometimes comes across as entitled and naive next to Mariel, which makes her a tricky character to pin your colours to. In contrast, Mariel's problems carry a lot more weight. The very real issues she must face as a maid in a country which relies on foreign workers to perform low-paid work, while holding them in disdain, are very upsetting to read about. There is so much poignancy in Mariel's back story, and her simple dream to have her loving relationship with fellow migrant worker, Vijay, accepted by the family she has been separated from is very moving. My heart bled for her.

I am impressed by the way Carey weaves back and forth between the voices of both women to highlight so much about living in Asia from the points of view of the ex-pat, and the domestic workers they employ. The misunderstandings and bemusement that arises on both sides is explored beautifully, bringing moments of humour as well as shock. I found much of Mariel's story, and those of her fellow migrants, eye-opening. Themes of corruption, abuse, prejudice, control, and socio-economic gulfs are examined well, and will set you pondering. She also touches on a heart breaking storyline about refugees in Malaysia, which proves to be a quite a turn-around for Laura.

Carey does a lovely job of bringing Kuala Lumpur alive with detailed descriptions of culture, weather and environment, and you can almost feel yourself battling with the oppressive heat and humidity, stepping over cockroaches, and keeping a wary eye out for snakes, alongside the characters. There are some extremely fascinating snippets about what life in Malaysia is really like, which enriches the story no end.

For the most part, this is a quiet kind of novel, filled with the trials, tribulations, hopes and dreams of real life, but there are also moments of suspense to capture your imagination, and heartfelt scenes that hit the emotional soft spot. Carey's writing is incredibly engaging, with a gentle rhythm that pulls you right into the story. I thoroughly enjoyed this debut, and can highly recommend it to readers who love novels with strong female characters in well rendered, exotic settings, that also touch on thought-provoking themes. And I guarantee that you will enthralled by the idea of a land filled with light that can 'bend round corners'!

The Light that Bends Round Corners is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Alexandra Carey/Book Guild Publishing for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Alexandra Carey lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with her family from 2006 to 2013 where she worked as a volunteer for the UNHCR and wrote two children’s books, Ted Ted and the Dhobi Ghats and Ted Ted, Trouble in Tokyo. Since returning to England, she has lived by the River Deben in Suffolk and has studied creative writing. The Light That Bends Round Corners is her first novel.