I know they say never to judge a book by its cover, but I have to confess, the cover is what made me want to read this book before I even knew what it was about! Luckily, the story lived up to the cover and you can expect to see Uncle Paul on my books of the year list in December, without a doubt.
First published in 1959, this is a recent reissue by Faber. It’s Celia Fremlin’s second novel but the first I’ve read and I was delighted to find that she wrote fifteen more. If any of them are even half as good as this one then I have some great reading ahead of me!
Uncle Paul is written from the perspective of Meg, the youngest of three sisters but in many ways the most mature. She is leading her own independent life in London with a job, a flat and a new boyfriend, Freddy, a pianist who is both charming and secretive. The novel opens with Meg receiving a telegram from her older sister Isabel, who is spending the summer holidays in a caravan at the seaside with her family. Isabel is concerned about their half-sister Mildred, who is twenty years older and helped to bring them up as children. Mildred has left her husband and come to stay at a nearby cottage – the same cottage where she spent her honeymoon with her first husband, Paul, fifteen years earlier.
Meg and Isabel had been very young at the time of Mildred’s marriage to Paul – they knew him as ‘Uncle Paul’ – but they remember the scandal that occurred when it emerged that he was guilty of both bigamy and attempted murder. Paul was given a long prison sentence after Mildred went to the police, but she is convinced that he has now been released and is coming to take his revenge. Believing that her sisters are panicking about nothing, Meg sets off for the coast intending to tell them to stop being foolish, but when she finds herself spending the night at Mildred’s cottage listening to footsteps moving around in the dark she begins to wonder whether Uncle Paul really has come back after all.
Uncle Paul is an excellent psychological thriller, but I think what I actually loved most about it was the setting – the portrayal of a typical British seaside holiday in the 1950s. Fremlin does a great job of bringing to life Isabel’s rickety caravan, trips to the beach and walks along the pier, the challenges of keeping children amused on a wet day and the friendships that inevitably begin to form with the other guests – in this case, the gallant old Captain Cockerill and a mother with her son, Cedric, an irritating little boy who thinks he knows everything (and often does). The characters are all very well drawn, even the minor ones like these, but I found the three sisters particularly interesting, with their very different personalities: the sensible, level-headed Meg who, despite being the youngest, is the one the others rely on to take control of every situation; the rich, dramatic and often irrational Mildred (her decision to stay on her own in an isolated cottage where she could easily be found by Paul being one example of her illogical behaviour); and the nervous, anxious Isabel, the sort of person who worries about anything and everything.
The psychological elements of the story are very well done, so that we can never be quite sure whether the strange occurrences and the noises in the middle of the night are real or just a figment of our characters’ imaginations. Even when one alarming incident is proven to have an innocent explanation, the suspense begins to build all over again, convincing us that this time Meg and her sisters really are in danger! Similarly, Fremlin creates enough mystery around the characters of Isabel’s husband and Meg’s boyfriend that neither we nor Isabel and Meg themselves know whether they really are who they claim to be.
Having been kept guessing all the way through this wonderful novel, I found the ending both unexpected and clever. Definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far and I can’t wait to try another one by Celia Fremlin.
She Reads Novels 
This sounds great and totally agree that the cover definitely makes me want to read it.
It’s a great cover, isn’t it? I hope you’re able to read this one!
Haven’t heard of this author. You’ve intrigued me!
I hadn’t heard of her either until I came across this book. Now I want to read everything she’s written!
Well, this book is going straight onto my TBR list! I have seen it in shops and though I was also attracted by the cover I was put off by the title. Your review has given me a different more encouraging impression of the book. I do like discovering new, highly readable, authors particularly from the ‘mid’ 20th century with a long back catalogue to delve into!
Yes, it’s always nice to come across an author you think is going to become a favourite, especially when they have such a long list of books to explore. I hope you have an opportunity to read this one soon.
You’ve convinced me that I want to read it! It sounds great.
I loved it! I’m glad I convinced you.
Psychological mysteries are my favorite! Human behavior is always the biggest mystery. Add in an atmospheric setting and I’m sold.
Yes, I love a good psychological mystery and this one is very cleverly done. The suspense elements are very subtle and show how powerful our imaginations can be. It’s a great book.
I’ve only read one Fremlin, and I loved it – so can’t wait to get to this one!!
I hope you’re able to read it soon – I think you would enjoy it!
Interesting. Funny that she has a ‘Nightmare Christmas’ too…! [lol]
I already have the Christmas one earmarked as a possible December read!
I only read your first paragraph since I’ll be reading the book very soon, so I’m delighted to hear you enjoyed it so much! I’ve only previously come across Fremlin in one short story in an anthology, but that was good enough to put her onto my wishlist. So I already had high hopes for this one!
Oh, I hope you like it – I’ll look out for your thoughts! I had never heard of Fremlin before reading this book, but it’s nice to know that her short stories are good as well.
Well, you have made me think I need to read this right away! I have a copy with a much uglier cover but I won’t let that deter me. I read The Hours Before Dawn by Celia Fremlin many years ago, but it has always stayed with me. I was very impressed with her skill at creating tension.
I love the cover of the new reissued version, but I’m sure the story will be just as good with the ugly cover! She creates a lot of tension in this book too – I really enjoyed it.
You’ve done a great job of introducing an author who wasn’t on my radar. Good characterisation and sense of place? What’s not to like? Especially with such an inviting cover.
I’m glad I could introduce her to you, Margaret. It’s a great book and the cover is an added bonus!
I’m going to look her up on Goodreads. This sounds wonderful!
I hope you can get hold of her books from somewhere. This one is great.
I’m sure there are some used ones for sale on Better World Books.
I love the sound of this and I’m definitely getting my own copy, you were absolutely right to buy it for the cover!
Yes, this is one occasion where I was glad I judged it by the cover! I hope you enjoy it if you do read it.
I was able to get this book digitally through my local library. I am in Ontario Canada. While I enjoyed the book I became extremely irritated with Isabel, and just wanted to shake her and tell her to ‘pull herself together’ ,which did detract me from the story somewhat. I suppose it is the mark of a good author that she can bring her characters to life. I am undecided as to whether I will read any more of hers….we shall see!
I did not intend my comment to be anonymous
Paula Smith
I’m pleased to hear this book is available in Canada too. I’m glad you enjoyed it – I’m sure Isabel was supposed to be annoying, so I think that’s definitely a sign of the author doing a good job! If you decide to try another one I hope you find the characters less irritating.
What a hidden gem! I will keep an eye out for this one. I have not enjoyed a lot of psychological thrillers recently because too full of deliberate twists without proper narrative buildup.
I think you would like this one. The twists work very well because Fremlin takes her time building up the tension first. I was very impressed!
I’m putting this one on my list, too.
I think you might enjoy it.