Elizabeth Diamond is a new author to me, and one I enjoyed. I did feel as if I'd read this type of story many times before, but it was still an interesting read.

Jane is trying to deal with a life which keeps going wrong - she has memories of a difficult childhood, but some of those memories escape her, whilst taunting her in dreams. She's now dealing with a divorce, a disabled son she can't get close to, an illness, plus forever wondering why her brother walked out when they were young.

Despite all this, her character is one I warmed to. After a fairly good start though, the story did seem to slow down, and due to other things going on, I did put it down for a while. However, once I picked it back up, I found the second half of the story better, and it held me well.

A psychological journey.

This was a most enjoyable read, though it benefits from being read in one go - not picked up and put down, as I did, which was a bit confusing. It's an interesting view on the psychological effects of trauma and the suppression of events that can't be faced.

After a bout of treatment for cancer, Jane starts to find her mind triggered by thoughts from the past, a past she has suppressed for many years by lies and evasion, not only to those who are close to her, but also to herself. As the memories start to tumble into her conciousness she also has to deal with problems in the present time. People around her help and hinder this process to varying degrees so that the whole unravelling becomes a fascinating journey of discovery.

My version was a proof copy so I hope the many typos will have been corrected by the time it becomes commercially available. I was more worried about the need for editing - new paragraphs where thought processes change, more clarity in the time line, things like that. It is for that reason that I only gave the book 4* as it didn't really flow. If these problems are corrected then this is definitely a 5* Read.

I have An Accidental Light on my shelves and if it's even better than Underwater, as one Amazon reviewer said, then I can't wait to read it! ( )

This is the second book I have read by Elizabeth Diamond and I have enjoyed them both very mcuh. She is a good story teller and her characters are to me real and believable. The book looks at the efeect of a traumatic event on someone's later life in this case the main character Jane , and also some of the other lesser characters. Jane was not able to talk about what had happened in her life when she was a child and in fact made her self into a new person in a way and kept these events from the important people in her life, even her husband. But in the end she did have to deal with the pain of it all and move on. I do not want to reveal any more of the story. I would rather let it unfold for you as it did for me but as I said it is a book I really enjoyed and I hope she writes another. ( )

Underwater is the second novel from Elizabeth Diamond, who displays a high level of accomplishment in this tale. Jane is recovering from the trauma of breast cancer and trying to deal with resurgent memories from her past. She dreams of her missing brother Paul and experiences sensations of being underwater.

As the story progresses, the multiple tragedies of Jane's life begin to reveal themselves, both to her and to the reader. She has suppressed them all her life, lied about her past, but not they are coming back, demanding to be recognised. Ex-wife to Adam, and mother to Dominic, Jane has lived a separate life from them following a horrible accident. But it was events in her teenage years which truly shaped her.

Initially, I didn't find the book engaging and I wondered if I should continue to read. However, I am glad that I did. Diamond has a way of gradually revealing the intricacies and details of the story and skillfully builds layer upon layer. Don't let the slow and vague start deter you. ( )

This is a multi-stranded story of Jane, a woman recovering from a serious illness and going through a crisis in her life. She is estranged from her husband and son after a terrible incident changes their lives forever.

Jane's past keeps coming back to haunt her, but she can't fully remember it all. Small parts are revealed to her as the book goes on. She remembers her violent father, a mother who didn't ever really care for her, and Paul, her brother who has been missing for over 30 years, since Jane was 14. Jane sets out to try and locate Paul, and in so doing her memories start to come back to her.

This is a very well-written book about secrets which have been pushed into the back of people's minds, not just Jane but her mother too. It brought tears to my eyes in various places as the author managed to evoke so many different feelings through her writing. Elizabeth Diamond is an accomplished author and I am looking forward to reading more of her work. ( )