I thoroughly enjoyed reading A House Built on Sand by Tina Shaw. It’s a beautifully written depiction of the relationship between mother and daughter while navigating a recent dementia diagnosis.

Anyone who has been exposed to dementia in their family will know that it often feels like you’re standing on unstable footing, unsure whether you’re catching the sufferer on a good day or a bad day. I felt the author depicted this feeling of unease and the challenges of supporting a dementia patient very well, and it was comforting to read.

There’s an element of mystery to this story as Maxine, suffering from early onset dementia, travels to her family home with her daughter Rose to ensure that a long-kept secret doesn’t surface. There’s a sense of urgency that builds throughout the story as Maxine attempts to stay on course with the task she’s come home to complete, while her memory frequently betrays her, transporting her to different places and points in time. From the reader’s perspective, this offers little snippets of background as Maxine recalls events from her adolescence, early career and Rose’s childhood. We piece together Maxine’s secret as she works to keep it hidden.

Though A House Built On Sand was at times a heavy read, I found it to be very enjoyable and it kept me hooked the whole time. I found it a little difficult to find my bearings at the start with the alternating chapters, but it became quickly clear that each chapter alternates the perspectives and it was smooth sailing from there. A tip to readers who haven’t spent much time in Auckland - it might be helpful to have Google Maps on hand as there are numerous references to Auckland and surrounds throughout the story! .

4 ⭐️

I worried a little as I started A House Built on Sand by Tina Shaw as it's about dementia which hits too close to home at the moment. I recently read another book about someone with memory issues and mentioned in that review that my father had dementia and my mother (albeit at 80 years of age, so is expected) is starting to show memory lapses and some confusion. However, Maxine, one of our two lead characters here and who's showing signs of memory loss is only 58.

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Shaw's been able to place readers in the minds of both mother and daughter (Maxine and Rose) here. It took me a while to get used to expecting the alternating voice but suspect labelling each chapter with the name of our narrator is probably also overkill. But we certainly get a sense of who they are and they feel very real. I found myself invested in their stories - Maxine's memory issues and her confusion, as well as her determination that there's something from the past she needs to deal with. And then there's Rose and her desperation to get pregnant, unsure how supportive her husband remains.

We also meet a younger Maxine and learn more about her childhood, including her prickly relationship with her mother and the death of her father. It's hinted initially but we ultimately learn more about Maxine's relationship with Rose's father and his escalating violence (trigger warning: domestic and family violence). I liked that Shaw tackles head-on the fact that Maxine's professional life as a social worker, dealing with dysfunctional relationships and families, is contrasted with her personal life and fact she's fallen into behaviour she sees in her clients. And of course bookclubs might like to consider how her younger years fed into some of her teenage rebellion and eagerness to be loved and accepted. (Even at a cost.)

I would perhaps have liked a little more consideration of Maxine's differing relationships with her brothers and this might also be excellent bookclub discussion fodder. We do meet one in the present, with whom she has always been close. I must admit I was a bit surprised where Shaw takes his story and wondered if it complicated an already complex story beyond what was needed as that thread isn't really addressed in any detail.

In the book's Foreward Shaw talks about her mother's experience with Lewy Body Dementia and its physiological impacts on the brain and memory. And though I know it's a physiological I did ponder whether some of Maxine's early struggles - the loss of her father, relationship with her mother and then the events with Tony and Rose combined with the sad reality of her work - contributed in any way. If trauma has exacerbated or triggered what might not have been as challenging otherwise.

We're privy to a short slice of time in Rose and Maxine's life, but it's a pivotal one. Shaw's development of our two lead characters and their stories certainly stands out here as well as their relationship and the way it's changed over time. She also very deftly hints at past secrets that are eventually - quite shockingly - revealed. And though we might have had an inkling I still found myself turning the last page (metaphorically as I was reading an electronic review copy) wondering what would happen next.

A strong story about early onset Alzheimer’s and the relationship between mothers and daughters. The writing style is nice but the plot is a little bit confusing at times. I would suggest to label the chapters from the point of view it’s about.

“Something’s at the back of my mind, lurking like a bad smell; it jitters and crawls inside me like cockroaches. I reach out with mental fingertips to try and locate it, sensing a shadowy thing— what is it?—but just as it starts to take shape, I shove it away.

A House Built On Sand is a novel by prize-winning New Zealand author, Tina Shaw. Although the doctor and her daughter have said she’s no longer safe to drive her car, Maxine Christensen is driving from Auckland to the family bach at Kutarere. There’s something very important she has to do there, and she’s hoping she’ll remember what it is. But as she pulls out of a nearby layby, she has a close encounter with a truck, and ends up in a ditch.

When the police officer at Whakatane rings Rose Christensen about her mum, it means a four-hour drive to collect her. It’s already early evening, so after a night in a motel, Rose plans to follow Maxine to Kutarere, leave her old Toyota there, and bring her home. It’s not the first time she’s had to drop everything to sort out her mum; there are family and friends but, to her husband’s irritation, Rose seems to be the default person whenever her mother needs someone.

Maxine is only fifty-eight, and her GP said it’s likely mild cognitive impairment, pending further tests, but the number of worrying incidents is increasing, despite Maxine’s reliance on phone notes and calendar reminders and, even as she hopes her mother’s condition will improve, Rose fears they are facing early-onset dementia.

At Kutarere, Rose decides a break from home, an extra night away at a favourite spot, will do them both good. Her husband doesn’t seem wholly invested in overcoming their infertility challenge and, even as an early childhood educator, dealing with the babies at Little Poppets can be a strain. Is she anticipating catching up with an old boyfriend more than she should? The hypnotist she’s seeing for her claustrophobia is happy to do sessions over the phone, and being back at this childhood place might help her find what has triggered it.

For Maxine, being at Kutarere stirs memories, some good, some disturbing, but all feel very real. Most unsettling : “None of them knew. Not what was really important. I didn’t write that down. Maybe I should have. Then I could be sure now about who’s who and what exactly took place…because things have got a bit hazy in my mind, slippery little fish in my clumsy hands, flip-flop. It would have been helpful to have it set straight in black and white instead of this brain sieve I’ve got now.”

Shaw gives the reader a thoroughly convincing portrayal of dementia, both from the perspective of the one afflicted, and a close family member. She then adds the twist of a long-held secret with potentially devastating consequences. Shaw’s personal experience lends the work an undeniable authenticity, and the ending is very realistic. Compelling contemporary fiction.
This unbiased review is from a copy provided by Text Publishing.

A House Built on Sand is about a woman who exhibits symptoms of early onset Alzheimer's and her daughter. As they return to their family house, where they used to spend their summers together, both deal with memories and visions which may not always be reliable.

This book is written in alternating chapters from the first-person singular perspective of the mother and a third-person perspective of the daughter. Having this division improved the readability of the story; alternatively the author could have chosen to name the chapters based on the characters. The chapters in the mind of the mother were quite interesting, as they dove into some raw experiences of her past and her relationship with her own mother.

Generally I liked the writing of the author, but I struggled a bit with finding the point of the story. It is a slow burn and takes a bit of a confusing but intriguing twist towards the ends.