Siblings Isobel and Edward live an ocean apart and haven’t spoken in many years. He resides in the London area, while Isobel moved away to find herself in New York City. They have to reconnect in London after the unexpected death of their Mum, Mary. Not being close has both of them acting strangely towards each other. Edward barely says two words to her although he did pick her up at the airport with his girlfriend Julie, who seemed eager to learn about this long-lost sister of his. Isobel feels like she has to tread lightly around him. Needing to close up the house in one week for new renters leaves them barely communicating, other than to say to say “you take the kitchen and dining room and Jules and I will take the living room.” Edward decides to divide and conquer, putting items in three different boxes while Isobel can’t seem to box anything the first day as she carefully cradles each item and then sets it right back down. Isobel finds a box of letters from her that were never opened by Edward and shelves them in one of the boxes. Spending time with each other and trying to share feelings opens some treasured memories of their past and good times. Edward blames himself for the way things went wrong and they realize Mum kept secrets too. Thrown together by death has them both trying to understand their past mistakes and to find a way to move forward.

This is a smart, sad, and funny debut novel for author S.V.Berlin. The story is told by all three of these characters in their own distinctive voice. Each tells their point of view as how the day went and the feelings they felt or expressed. Each of the characters do a bit of soul-searching throughout the story, which was a smart way to showcase each character. The reader can also see how each character grows through the following weeks. This is quite a long story to read, clocking in at over 500 pages, although the journey definitely becomes more enjoyable as the days pass. The story dealt with the nature of grief and the surreal situation about the death. The Favourite turned out to be far greater than anticipated and an truly enjoyable read!

In The Favourite, S. V. Berlin’s quietly compelling debut novel, estranged siblings reunite following the death of their mother, troubled by old resentments and misunderstandings at a time of both raw and numbing grief.

Edward and Isobel are now fortyish and living in separate countries. Edward remained near their childhood home in Sussex, England, while Isobel boldly moved to New York twenty years ago, hoping for a career in the movie industry. When their mother Mary is suddenly taken ill, Isobel returns to Sussex; following Mary’s death, she stays to help Edward plan the funeral.

The Favourite  includes three perspectives, alternating between Isobel, Edward, and Edward’s seemingly meek girlfriend, Julie. The narrative shifts with an engrossing rhythm. Even the newly departed Mary is evocative in her absence, as Isobel and Edward uncertainly sort through her wardrobe and eclectic possessions. The novel balances keen observations with welcome moments of humor; there are also subtly eloquent undertones about matters of loss, life, and death.

Beyond Isobel’s outwardly vivacious confidence is an increasing uncertainty, particularly about her life in New York. Her captivation with Manhattan began with Woody Allen–esque cinematic yearnings—“a city in ‘black and white’, mythic and romantic”—but now she feels displaced and isolated, and contemplates moving back to England.

Edward’s generally dour, sarcastic personality seems to buttress a rather classic British repression of intense feelings as well as an intriguing vulnerability. Timid Julie clings to a New Age self-help book that promotes positive thinking, eventually managing to twist its teachings into her own curiously surprising power play. Caught up in a triangle of tension, miscommunication, emotion, and memory, the characters of The Favourite are appealingly dysfunctional, flawed, and not soon forgotten.

AN EXPLORATION OF DEATH, ESTRANGEMENT, TRANS-ATLANTIC TENSIONS, AND CULTURAL DIVIDES

From renowned indie press Myriad Editions is The Favourite, an assured, compelling debut by the elusive, London-born Manhattan-based S.V. Berlin, who is very much a writer to watch. 

Myriad Editions prides itself on unearthing and nurturing fresh literary talent, reaping nominations and awards in the process, such as the Scottish Book Trust Pick of the Year in 2014 for Liam Murray Bell’s The Busker and the People’s Choice Wales Book of the Year award in the same year for Tyler Keevil’s The Drive. Aside from their imprint of diverse fiction, from bone-chilling crime thrillers to scintillating literary debuts, Myriad also boasts a wide array of graphic books and atlases, such as Una’s Becoming Unbecoming, a memoir of male violence in 1970s Yorkshire. 

The Favourite explores the strained relationship of siblings Edward and Isobel, who haven’t spoken for two decades and are in fact separated by the mighty Atlantic Ocean. Their mother Mary’s sudden death breaks their silence and forces the siblings together as they sort through the numerous belongings in their family home, which hark back to happier times. They are accompanied in this effort by Edward’s seemingly unassuming long-term girlfriend Julie, who proves to be more of a hindrance than a help and is smitten with a pseudoscientific self-help book entitled Pathways to Possible. 

This novel is slow moving and deeply character focussed. It is in descriptive portrayals of subtly relatable characters that Berlin really excels. From Julie’s cruel, conniving sister Lorraine to Edward’s penchant for perusing the travel section of broadsheet newspapers, Berlin crafts her characters with aplomb. Many of them tread a fine line between likeability and unlikability, which renders them even more realistic, particularly given the trying circumstances they face within the book. 

Furthermore, one cannot help but wonder if Isobel’s bustling Manhattan lifestyle mirrors that of Berlin herself, with all its doubts and decadence. It delves implicitly into current transatlantic tensions by highlighting the culture clash that divides its central estranged siblings even further. 

The Favourite forays briefly into what it means to be a Brit abroad and how decades of living in New York has left its mark on Isobel’s accent, worldview and even her mannerisms. The reader ultimately learns that Isobel is not quite living the high life, as her brother Edward jealously assumes, but is, in fact, pondering a return to Blighty, spurred on by the seeds of discontent sewed by her mother’s untimely demise. 

The Favourite brims with under the surface tensions, long held regrets and damaging assumptions, which really make the reader reflect on their own relationships, particularly the more troubling ones. For anyone who has experienced estrangement, it feels at once familiar and detached, not unlike the indescribable void left in the wake of failed relationships. It is a novel that stresses the importance of honest yet considerate communication, which is often conspicuous in its absence, causing a whole host of avoidable issues between characters. 

It begs the question of whether such a form of communication can, in fact, be attained, even in life’s darkest moments. 

Berlin does not focus much on the circumstances of Mary’s death. They are, arguably, of lesser importance compared to the impact this bereavement has upon the novel’s central characters. Their grief is visceral yet somehow contained, partitioned off in order to deal with such grim necessities as overzealous funeral directors and a well-meaning humanist celebrant who cannot help but put her foot in it. 

Aside from the characters’ personal experiences of grief, The Favourite also reflects upon wider themes, such as our social, societal perceptions of bereavement and our modern, euphemistic ways of referring to death. Particularly poignant is Isobel’s realisation that her friends are growing tired of her anecdotes about her mother, which leads her to question how else she can go about remembering her. As mourners, we are too often told to let go or move on by well-intentioned friends or acquaintances, in a society that fears death to the point that we collectively conspire to hide what cannot be hidden. That is the harsh reality that death will come for us all one day. 

Particularly admirable is the often darkly comic tone Berlin employs to deal with such often stigmatised themes as death and estrangement. Uncomfortable truths are often best faced with a healthy dose of humour and this works very well within The Favourite. Berlin’s use of humour in no way lessens the numerous poignantly sad moments within the book if anything it accentuates them even more. It would be very encouraging indeed to see more authors tackle such troubling themes with such finesse and a refusal to shy away from the grislier facts of life. 

Could S.V. Berlin be Myriad Editions’ next rising star? I certainly think so. 

Siblings Edward and Isobel Vernon haven't spoken in years and live on opposite sides of the Atlantic. When their mother Mary dies unexpectedly, they are thrown together to sort through the family home. With Edward's diffident but devoted girlfriend, Julie, making an awkward threesome, each stumbles through the practicalities of funeral preparation and house clearing, trying to make sense of their emotions and their feelings toward one another. Isobel makes a disturbing discovery and her fateful decision has consequences for all of them, challenging their beliefs about the past, hopes for the future and understanding of Mary's role in keeping them at once apart and together.

Author S V Berlin was born and raised in London, and has worked as a copywriter, facilitator, speechwriter, and, in a rather surprising career move, a Wilderness search and rescue professional. She now lives in Manhattan, and The Favourite is her debut novel.

The death of a loved one is the starting point for a lot of novels - families drawn back together, secrets uncovered and conversations opened up by the raw rage that grief can bring. As much as that sounds like ripe pickings for an author to create a fantastic plot, it can also lead to a predictable lead - a family member dies, a secret is uncovered, drama happens, and everything is resolved with an element of closure. Sound familiar? Thought so. Don't be expecting that here though - S V Berlin has taken those elements and brought them together to craft something original, surprising, and immensely skilled considering it's a debut novel.

It's in the character work that Berlin really shines - creating a trio of people who are real - at turns relatable and unlikeable. Telling the story from the perspective of the three characters, sometimes showing the same moment from the three distinct viewpoints, allows the reader indepth access into the thoughts and motivations that drive these characters. Berlin's skill is such that one character can come across as wholly unpleasant and unlikeable in one chapter, then turning things so that the same character seems good and relatable the next moment. It's a real balancing act, and one that must take some considerable skill. Those characters take part in a plot that initially seems rather mundane - a daughter returns home after the death of her mother, and is met by her brother and his girlfriend. From there, the plot forges a new and rather fascinating path - twisting in unexpected directions and keeping the reader on their toes throughout. Underneath the gentle suburban drama that appears to be on the surface here is an intricately crafted plot featuring three fascinating characters – it's a read well worth your time, and a fantastically assured debut.