The Frequency of Us: A BBC2 Between the Covers book club pick

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At one particularly low point, suffering from suspected severe medication withdrawal side-effects, Laura reflects wryly: “We are not credible witnesses to our own life.” Of course, the truth is far more complex, immersive and emotionally wrought. History Makers: Female Writers Dominate the 2023 William Hill Sports Book of the Year Award Shortlist The synopsis for this one really made me want to read the book. Given how positive your review is looks like I need to add this to my tbr list. How does Laura’s anxiety contribute to her quest to solve Will’s mystery? Is it a help as well as a hindrance?

BBC Radio 4 - The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry: The Ultimate Guide to Celebrating Christmas with the Best Drinks Books On The Shelves As the mystery deepens the author’s deft handling of the complicated strands of the plot creates an intense read. Only afterwards did I fully appreciate all the clever details which foreshadowed the nail-biting final section of the book. I read like one possessed, racing to finish the book yet rueing the moment I would reach its end. The sirens woke Elsa but not me. I’d crawled into bed only an hour or so before, exhausted, bruised, desperate to blot out the memories of the previous day; the awful things I’d seen. She was shaking me, harder and harder, and even then sleep would not release me. Finally she shouted, ‘Will! Will! Wake up! Will, darling!’

Footnotes

Will’s collection of old wireless radios plays a big part in the book, but it is not until about three quarters of the way through, that the title of the book starts to make sense. There are many twists, and just as you think everything is sorted – some new information comes to light. Ahead of the publication of his new novel The Frequency of Us, we asked Keith Stuart to tell us more about it. Over to you, Keith. . .

The Frequency of Us by Keith Stuart | Waterstones

But some of the key elements of Laura’s character and anxiety come from my own experiences. While writing the novel, I started to come to terms with my own anxiety – throughout my career as a journalist and writer I’ve often struggled with stress, and I think that bringing Laura to life as a character helped me to understand how central stress had become in my own life. So just like her, I saw my GP and was prescribed antidepressants. There are moments in Frequency of Us that definitely come straight from me – the way Laura describes her feelings of dread at the start of each day, and the way she finds it difficult to organise herself through the fog of anxiety. But she’s also very different to me, and of course, her experiences as a woman with anxiety, especially when she moves to London, alone and suffering mental health issues, are things that I’ve had to construct from the experiences of other people. I think this is a really important part of the writing process: actually researching your character as a thinking, feeling person, rather than a list of stats. Are we where we truly should be? Where we belong with those who love us absolutely? These questions are at the heart of ‘The Frequency of Us’, a novel that defies genres and offers in one sweep romance, elements of the supernatural and hints of a ghost.

I loved the start of this book and particularly loved Elsa and Will’s love story. Will was such an endearing character and I loved how he blossomed with Elsa by his side. I love a grand sweeping romance and I’m a massive fan of WW2 fiction so this should have been an ideal read for me. Keith standing outside the Labour Exchange on James Street which was hit by shrapnel from a bomb blast

The Frequency of Us: creating a character with anxiety The Frequency of Us: creating a character with anxiety

Both the main characters are struggling with life. Laura has dropped out of university and is haunted by her fear of bumping into her father who had ruined her childhood. Will still mourns the loss of his one great love, six decades previously.

References

Laura is a likeable and interesting character. She has her own problems and feels realistic and well-rounded as a person. I think author Keith Stuart shows the effects of ill mental health in an honest, frank and fresh way because although we see how it has affected Laura, she is still not defined by this.

The Frequency of Us: A BBC2 Between the Covers book club pick The Frequency of Us: A BBC2 Between the Covers book club pick

I enjoyed the relationship between Laura and Will. Both stories - in past and present - were engaging and I loved getting to know the characters. The Frequency of Us is a novel with a bit of everything: a sweeping love story, wonderfully complex characters, and a sprinkling of the supernatural. I loved it, and know it'll stay with me for some time' -- CLARE POOLEY I think the middle was just a bit too slow and slightly confusing. The ending fit together really well, but I felt like there was a lot left unsaid. Contributors All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, and/or acquisition of data, and/or analysis and interpretation of data; all authors participated in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; all authors gave final approval of the version published; and all authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.When their house is bombed by the Nazis in 1942, Will is injured, wakes up in hospital and, on his return home, finds no sign of Elsa or her possessions. I have no problem with the ending as such. The idea was great. It's just the execution that I failed to appreciate. The ending gave Stuart the perfect opportunity to resolve the relationship between Laura and her father, and between her estranged parents, and would have created a memorable final chapter. But instead, Stuart ignored the parents entirely, choosing to introduce an entirely new and utterly one-dimensional character, and what followed was the most clumsy mess of dialogue and contrivance I've read in months.