The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont

 

 The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont. St. Martin's Press, 2022. Adult fiction.

When Agatha Christie disappeared for almost two weeks in 1926, she left behind her husband Archie and her young daughter. She never answered questions about where she was, what she did, or why she was gone. Nina de Gramont has written a fascinating exploration with her own ideas about it all. The book's main character, other than Agatha, is Nan O'Dea, Archie's mistress. Nan's background and time spent in Ireland are crucial to this tale as is Nan's great love, the handsome Irishman named Finbarr. Even policeman Chilton who investigates gets more than just a minor role! 

Those familiar with the real details of Mrs. Christie's disappearance and the "Great Hunt" for her will revel in this imaginative tale. It is never clear why Nan O' Dea is used rather than Nancy Neele. Rosalind Christie is referred to by her nickname, Teddy.  The Harrogate Hydro, the real hotel, is renamed the Bellefort. The real policeman in charge was Kenward. One suspects all this is connected to copyright regulations since so much is fictionalized. The novel winds its way back and forth in time and supplies tidbits of life after the Christies' divorce. Chapters about the disappearance are cleared labelled chronologically. The chapters from Nan's view of point are called "Here Lies Sister Mary" and that title is explained.  The writing is clear and, at times, simply stunningly lyrical. Even the ending takes the reader to new heights of imagination. 

Readers of this blog will be aware that I love going down the rabbit's hole with biographies and fictions about Agatha Christie, but this title is, by far, my favorite peek at the disappearance. Over a hundred years has gone by, but Mrs. Christie is still thrilling us with her work and her life. This is my favorite book of 2022 so far. 

* If you are interested in historical accounting, read Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life by Laura Thompson (Pegasus Books, 2018). Its 534 pages covers the life of Agatha Christie and gives a quite credible surmise about the disappearance. It also provides details about Agatha's marriage to Max Mallowan as well as Mr. Christie and Rosalind's later lives and includes photographs of relevant people.