This book was a really slow burn for me. The first few chapters felt a bit amateur and I almost gave up on it. I struggled to get the characters straight in my head a bit, and one family's devastating experiences made it sad without reward. And then I got completely sucked in, loved the stories within stories within stories. The main charcters were well-observed and complex, I was rooting for them but from a distance.
The cover sets the scene well for the strange mix of fantasy and reality through the story. It's different to anything I've read before, in a lovely, touching and captivating way. The fantasy element is subtle, which I liked - more magic than this is too much for me in a novel, but a sprinkling that takes us out of reality is okay!
This book makes me want to read other things by the author, who clearly has a detailed and interesting take on the human condition.
The cover sets the scene well for the strange mix of fantasy and reality through the story. It's different to anything I've read before, in a lovely, touching and captivating way. The fantasy element is subtle, which I liked - more magic than this is too much for me in a novel, but a sprinkling that takes us out of reality is okay!
This book makes me want to read other things by the author, who clearly has a detailed and interesting take on the human condition.