The Heirloom by Julie Brooks is a complex tale that explores the mysteries of intuition and how it may be tied to family roots. How our ancestors’ tendencies, actions, reactions, likes and dislikes may be passed down to future generations. In this story, the power of folklore and customs/ancient beliefs are explored. The question is raised of whether a person accused of being a witch actually is one. In the past many were labelled as such who used herbs for healing but what if that person crossed the line into the area of manipulation using herbs for love potions and even to kill someone.
This is a multi-layered story set in modern day Australia and England with flashbacks to 1819, 1821, 1824 in Sussex, England. In 2024, a granddaughter living in Brisbane, Australia, journeys into the past and uncovers tales of her ancestors through inheriting her grandmother’s home in England.
Daughter Mia and mother Celia are descended from women who were deemed witches. Celia was so upset by the things that happened in her English home (where many unusual activities occurred) that it drove her to the other side of the world. She fled to Australia to never return. After Celia learns of her mother’s death through her daughter, Mia, she experiences a resurgence of buried emotions and crippling fears.
When Mia receives the news of her grandmother Henrietta’s death, after being hunted down by Reid, a diligent heir seeker, working for English solicitors (who are probate genealogists), she is shocked to discover she has inherited her grandmother’s home and contents in Sussex, England. Why didn’t her mother receive it instead? There are secrets, of course, from the past that Mia will discover but her mother initially says little. Except to convey she is terrified for Mia if she goes to England to claim her inheritance. Her mother is afraid Henrietta will influence Mia from the grave through all she left behind. Will contact with these personal items awaken urges in her daughter that Celia tried so hard to erase?
Celia’s mission has been to protect her daughter from the tendencies found in her family tree. But when Mia is determined to fly to England to receive her inheritance and explore her grandmother’s home and the life she led, some unexpected things occur. Cocooned in her grandmother’s cottage surrounded by her belongings, hidden parts of Mia begin to awaken that allow her to get in touch with her suppressed self. The parts that her mother tried so hard to keep under wraps, due to her own fears—which stem from her childhood experiences—and how she was treated by her mother. As I said, this is a complex tale of psychological threads that will make you think, question what parts of ourselves we inherit genetically and what is brought on by social norms or shaped by environment. Yes, nature versus nurture.
Besides Mia’s journey and that of her mother Celia’s, we learn a lot about the grandmother, Henrietta Foord Sutton. Such as why she left her legacy to her granddaughter and not her daughter. But during this family exploration, the layers are peeled back further and we are taken to the early 1800s of former ancestors where witchcraft is detected or at least the women in the family are accused of it. It is quite an intriguing tale about a woman named Philadelphia Boadle who wakes to discover her husband, a tailor named Jasper, is dead from what appears to be poisoning. Philadelphia is accused of his murder through witchcraft. But there is so much more than meets the eye and the persons near the event will be judged. Amid the witch hunt and trial, a whole range of emotions are exposed: jealousy, betrayal, illicit romantic tendencies and so on.
In the present timeline, healing occurs: between mother and daughter and individually. With the help of Reid, Mia’s probate genealogist, who becomes more than a friend, she is able to uncover the past and learn much about her family which also helps unlock her own identity and frees her creative expression as an artist.
I won’t say any more as this is a story best read, rather than explained and I have only touched the surface with my comments. The Heirloom had a haunting effect on me and continues to resonate through my imagination. Julie has written it extremely well. Without hesitation, I highly recommend it. For those who love unique complex family histories and generational sagas, there is a lot here to keep you intrigued and turning the pages. 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to the author for providing a review copy.
