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melodyriggs's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
This is beautifully written but a slow build with a mostly predictable ending. Denny’s grief was real and raw. I wasn’t a fan of the chapters featuring Vera’s perspective though.
darshang07's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nbkemp's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was a challenging read at times, but I loved how the story unfolded and once I was a few chapters in I didn't want to stop. The stories were heartbreakingly realistic.
Could have done without the chapters from Vera's perspective, especially after the first one, but they weren't a huge component of the book so I didn't mind it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Grief
siobhanward's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.0
This one was kind of a miss for me. I found that nothing happened in the first 70 pages and then so many of the remaining pages were devoted to Leo abusing or neglecting his kids. I know that it was actually a really small part of the book, but so little happened in other parts that it seemed like the only thing happening.
The idea was cool and I liked the intertwined plots, but this just wasn't a book for me.
The idea was cool and I liked the intertwined plots, but this just wasn't a book for me.
sonireads's review against another edition
4.0
What an appropriate title.
This book follows Jesse, a young boy from a broken home, who is physically abused by his father. He lives in fear but still can't help but instigate the violence. He has a lot of strong emotions for such a young boy, and a lot of rage in his heart. On New Years day, he is at a park waiting for his father, a woman disappears, and we spend the rest of the book finding out what happened and why it happened.
Celona writes beautifully, it's almost poetic. She makes the reader feel deeply what she is trying to express. There are a lot of spiritual undertones in this book, like what happens when somebody dies? When someone is born? What happens to the soul?
There are also a lot of dark themes, death, suicide, abuse, just to name a few. What happens when people experience these kinds of traumatic events?
I recommend this book for someone who enjoys mystery or books about life and reality that we sometimes face.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
This book follows Jesse, a young boy from a broken home, who is physically abused by his father. He lives in fear but still can't help but instigate the violence. He has a lot of strong emotions for such a young boy, and a lot of rage in his heart. On New Years day, he is at a park waiting for his father, a woman disappears, and we spend the rest of the book finding out what happened and why it happened.
Celona writes beautifully, it's almost poetic. She makes the reader feel deeply what she is trying to express. There are a lot of spiritual undertones in this book, like what happens when somebody dies? When someone is born? What happens to the soul?
There are also a lot of dark themes, death, suicide, abuse, just to name a few. What happens when people experience these kinds of traumatic events?
I recommend this book for someone who enjoys mystery or books about life and reality that we sometimes face.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the eGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
emaynard97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cupcakescol's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
mackenzierm's review against another edition
2.0
So I'm not sure what to say about this book... I am not even sure how I feel about it. I can't even formulate how to discuss this novel without giving away the whole story, but I will give it a try.
On the one hand, I didn't particularly like it. It felt as though it was a jumble of many characters thoughts, feelings and experiences...and that can be good in many novels, but there's something off about it here.
It's a fairly short, quick read. It's set in a small fishing village and opens up on New Years Day with the viewpoint of two boys and their father down at the local lake where they're making a commitment to starting the year off differently. Simultaneously, it's the tale of a woman's disappearance and the reverberating experiences of those whose lives she touched.
It's as if you're not quite sure what's happening, because although the author gives you the multiple viewpoints of many characters, it's as though you have a blindfold on halfway, because there's still things that you don't know and can't get a grasp of. You know something sinister has happened, but you can't quite figure out how it's happened, or why, or if it even happened at all I guess.
I guess to summarize, I can't say I liked this book. It was too vague and ambiguous, and a bit all over the place for my liking. You never truly know what you know, if you catch my drift.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!
On the one hand, I didn't particularly like it. It felt as though it was a jumble of many characters thoughts, feelings and experiences...and that can be good in many novels, but there's something off about it here.
It's a fairly short, quick read. It's set in a small fishing village and opens up on New Years Day with the viewpoint of two boys and their father down at the local lake where they're making a commitment to starting the year off differently. Simultaneously, it's the tale of a woman's disappearance and the reverberating experiences of those whose lives she touched.
It's as if you're not quite sure what's happening, because although the author gives you the multiple viewpoints of many characters, it's as though you have a blindfold on halfway, because there's still things that you don't know and can't get a grasp of. You know something sinister has happened, but you can't quite figure out how it's happened, or why, or if it even happened at all I guess.
I guess to summarize, I can't say I liked this book. It was too vague and ambiguous, and a bit all over the place for my liking. You never truly know what you know, if you catch my drift.
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!
sawyerbell's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully written but ultimately very depressing story of family dysfunction, child abuse and the corrosive effects of grief and guilt.