genre: contemporary fiction
When I first saw this on a book list somewhere, the reviewer said "it's better to go in blind" so that's what I did. I didn't know ONE THING about it and within the first two chapters I was hooked by the narrative device.
I am going to give a few very basic clues so you can know if it's for you or not:
1. It is a contemporary story with trauma and grief at it's heart. If you are a parent, be aware of your own triggers and if you are in a good place to read a book about grief relating to a child. The prose is so careful and compassionate with the ways grief can impact us, but parts of this story are heavy.
2. It's also a second-chance love story that is so complex and complicated and full of unfortunate decisions that it is sometimes actually uncomfortable - like, we as a reader know too much and even when we want it to stop, for poeple to make a different choices, people are too complex, especially when they have been broken. So while I would in my mind be saying "no no no!" I just never wanted to give up. I liked it that much.
3. It' s a chosen family story, about how even when the worst happens to us, there can still be good. There are people and things worth living for. I loved that it reminds me that no love is perfect, even if it looks like it is from the inside - but that doesn't mean that it's not worth trying to find and to keep.
BIG SPOILER HERE. PLEASE STOP READING IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE STORY TO BE GENIUNLY SPOILED.
I HAVE WARNED YOU.
What made this story such a interesting one for me was that it was told by an omniscient narrator who is actually a character who has passed on. So we learn about her own history and her insider information and her take on the action that is happening. I just REALLY liked this. I liked her perspective. And the ending, well, even though I had guessed a tiny part of it, the last ten minutes were so perfect and lovingly tied things up in a way that felt SO good. I can see that other people hated this book - and maybe I would if I was in a different headspace. But I always wanted to listen. Five stars.
Content: some open doorish scenes - there are adults doing adult things and we hear about it in real time but this is not a steamy book. Swears.
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