The Tea Planter's Wife

July 18, 2016
In her U.S. debut, Jefferies (The Separation), who was born in Malaysia and lives in England, delivers an engrossing tale of mystery, manners, and prejudice set against the backdrop of Ceylon (current-day Sri Lanka). Arriving from England by ship not long after the sinking of the Titanic, Gwen, the 19-year-old bride of Laurence Hooper, heir to a massive tea plantation, senses tension on every side when she comes to the serene but secluded plantation. Who is this widowed man she has married, and what is he hiding from his past? And why does everyone—Laurence’s sister, the plantation manager, and Laurence himself—want Gwen to keep her distance from the affairs of the native workers? As Laurence becomes involved with a mysterious businesswoman and Gwen spends her time with a local Sinhalese man, the past begins to spill into the present at the scenic plantation. Though the writing is at times cluttered and needlessly verbose, Jefferies shows that she can weave a suspenseful tale in which characters’ complex motivations converge in surprising ways—where compromise can turn out to have been cruelty, and where the aspiration to love overcomes prejudice and tradition. While characters aside from Gwen and Laurence never feel fully fleshed out, Jefferies makes up for this defect by offering suspense and pathos, and by resisting the temptation to gloss over true heartbreak and regret. Agent: Caroline Hardman, Hardman & Swainson Literary Agency.

April 15, 2016

Married at 19, Gwendolyn thinks that life on a tea plantation in 1920s Ceylon will be glorious. But folks are unwelcoming, and what happened to husband Laurence's first wife? A UK best seller; a 75,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2016

A best seller in Britain and set in 1920s Ceylon (Sri Lanka today), Jefferies's (The Separation) novel is the spellbinding tale of a young bride who travels to an exotic land and winds up completely lost in the unfamiliar. Nineteen-year-old Gwen married Laurence in England and has followed him to his tea plantation. Though mesmerized by the beauty of the country, she soon struggles with the unaccustomed isolation. Her new husband is strangely distant, spending most of his time at work, and his relationship with a beautiful American businesswoman makes Gwen insecure. Verity, Laurence's spoiled younger sister, is jealous of Gwen's place as mistress of the house and will do anything to drive a wedge between the couple. The plantation itself holds undercurrents of danger with unrest brewing among the native workers. Most mysterious and troubling is that no one is willing to talk about Laurence's first wife and the circumstances of her death. Soon, Gwen is questioning her own choices and will have to make a devastating decision to save her marriage and maybe her life. VERDICT This atmospheric and suspenseful novel is reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca and will enthrall fans of gothic romances. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/16; September LibraryReads Pick.]--Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.