Hilary Nancarrow

The Book of Opposites Hilary Nancarrow

This book is a work of fiction, it is the true story of my life beginning from the age of five at convent boarding school to the present day. In between, it tells of love and death and suicide, murder, addiction, and catastrophic breakdown. But mostly it tells of love and isolation. The story takes place in a small fishing village in Cornwall, where I spent most of my life. It is the story of Rachel Fairchild and her two children. Four years after her husband, Ben's death from cancer, she meets and falls in love with David, a Catholic priest. This love story then becomes a glorious and brutal obsession that bears witness to the complete disintegration of her mind and takes her to the edge of madness. Everything in this life has a polar opposite, from good to bad, evil and redemption. This book explores these opposites and applies them throughout the narrative. It contains passages regarding abstract thoughts and ideas, and of animals and birds that continually speak to Rachel and warn her of her downfall. These passages are intended to convey a sense that Rachel is pursues by her demons from the start. They are playful and enigmatic, but also dark and spiteful, a kind of childhood/adult magic.