Rating: Three Stars
Reviewed by Gabrielle Pantera
“I was sitting on the Brighton to London train one morning, when a passenger was taken ill on board and an ambulance called,” says One Moment One Morning author Sarah Rayner.
“We all had to get out at a stop en route, and I ended up sharing a taxi with a group of women I’d not met before to a stop further up the line. A few weeks later, I lay awake unable to sleep, and remembered this event, and thought it would be a great premise for a novel. I started writing the very next day.”
It’s a story of surviving and moving on, of growing and of exploring the human condition. The characters are believable and you will empathize with the character and what they’re going through. Feminists will like the women’s empowerment theme. One of the characters is a lesbian. If you’re looking for something light, this isn’t it. The story is full of angst. It’s about death and friendship and how to go on living.
One Moment, One Morning is the story of how one incident on a train impacts on the lives of three different passengers. On the 7:44am train from Brighton, Anna is impatient. She’s on her way to a big meeting in London. Another woman travelling to London is Lou, relaxed and watching others in the car around her. Across the aisle, a husband strokes his wife’s hand. Then suddenly the man collapses and the train is stopped at the next stop to get an ambulance. Karen, the man’s wife, Anna and Lou will have their lives changed by what happens on the train. One Moment, One Morning is about family, love and loss and friendship.
“From the outset my aim was to write something that didn’t shy from difficult emotional issues,” says Raynor. “I felt I had something fresh to say about three themes: bereavement, alcoholism and hidden sexuality in the context of friendship. I like to be entertained but also touched…gain greater understanding when I read, so that’s what I tried to deliver.”
“Most of the book was written from my heart and life experience rather than research,” says Raynor. “But, I did find online forums brilliant. There is a lot out there about bereavement and grief, and also about coming to terms with being gay. To be able to tap into other people’s experiences and insights was extremely helpful.”
One Moment, One Morning is Raynor’s third book. Its international sales have enabled Raynor to pursue fiction writing full time. Her first two novels, The Other Half (2001) and Getting Even (2002) were well received and translated across Europe.
Raynor’s fourth novel, The Two Week Wait, is being published in the UK at the same time her third novel is being released in America. Raynor is busy promoting both books. She’s also revising The Other Half and Getting Even so they can be re-released later this year.
Raynor says the most challenging part of working with a publisher is the covers. “I’m absolutely passionate about the covers of my books. I grew up in a household where words and pictures worked together. My mother wrote and illustrated children’s books. Plus I have an advertising background, so I’m used to having a big input into how things look. As a result, I find it very hard to let the design side of a book go. I imagine I am a nightmare for Picador, my UK publisher, because I am very opinionated, but hopefully it pays off. I adore the teacups cover for One Moment, One Morning. I like the American edition best of all.”
Raynor was born in London and spent her childhood in Richmond, Surrey. She studied English at Leeds University. She has lived by the sea in Brighton for nine years.
“The presence of the city is very strong in my book,” she says. “One reader described One Moment as ‘a love song to Brighton’.”
One Moment One Morning by Sarah Rayner. Trade Paperback, 416 pages, Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin; Reprint edition (December 20, 2011) Language: English ISBN: 9781250000194 $14.99
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