Top 5 Diane Chamberlain novels

Like, I imagine, much of Diane Chamberlain’s audience, I started off a Jodi Picoult fan. Although Diane has been writing for over twenty-five years, her work recently had a big push in the UK with the tagline, “Like Jodi Picoult? You’ll love this!” I had the chance to purchase a set of three of her books quite cheaply so decided to give her a go. To say I was hooked is an understatement – I devoured the three in no time and shot straight to the library to see if they had any others!

I have now read nearly all her books and actually prefer her to Picoult. Chamberlain’s novels are full of twists and turns – often not very believable ones, but I try to overlook that! Although she occasionally ventures into states such as New Jersey and California, the vast majority of her work is set in North Carolina. Having not known a great deal about it before, I’ve enjoyed exploring the state’s towns, cities, the Outer Banks and Topsail Island through Diane’s tales.

I’ve prepared a selection of five of her novels: not my Top Five so much as five books that show her different facets as a writer and should serve as an introduction to her work.

1. The Silent Sister

This is the strongest version of a plotline Chamberlain often employs: the long-lost relative. In The Silent Sister, a young woman named Riley discovers that the sister she believed to be dead may still be alive and sets out to find her. The novel is set between New Bern, NC and San Diego. Bluegrass music is strongly incorporated, as are LGBT themes.

2. Summer’s Child

Another Chamberlain trope is the abandoned or stolen baby. Summer’s Child follows Shelly, who was abandoned at birth in a shell, as she attempts to track down her biological parents with the help of a charismatic TV star. The setting of the Outer Banks of North Carolina – complete with sand dunes, storms and stilted houses – is excellently used, cultivating an intense ambience.

3. Necessary Lies

In 60s rural North Carolina, social worker Jane is pulled into the life of Ivy, a teenager living and working on a tobacco plantation and facing unspeakable hardship. Jane becomes increasingly more emotionally invested in Ivy’s welfare, risking her job and her marriage. Necessary Lies is difficult to read at times due to the terrible historical events it depicts. However, it is a powerful and important novel.

4. Brass Ring

This novel perhaps shouldn’t be in this list as it is silly and sensationalist and goes on forever. Yet I felt I had to include it. If you like epics, this is the one for you. It is long, covers a huge time span and variety of locations and is very far-fetched. However, some of the nature imagery – there are important snowy scenes – is striking and I guess it’s hard to spend so long with a set of characters and not form an attachment to at least some.

5. The Good Father

Funnily enough, the reason I like this book is that it is so atypical in terms of Chamberlain’s novels. Whereas her trademark is a choppy narrative with plenty of flashbacks and revelations, The Good Father has a simple structure and tells the simple story of a young man trying to create a better life for his little girl. It is also nice to see a working-class protagonist, as Chamberlain’s characters tend to be on the wealthy side.

As you can see, Diane Chamberlain tackles some big issues and gives an insight into many aspects of Southern life and North Carolina life in particular. I hope I’ve inspired you to give her books a go!


*This piece was originally written for Cuckoo Review (New Writing North) and is reprinted with permission*