I had to have a little think about this one before I wrote this review... which isn't the norm for me - I usually have a lot to say very quickly!
The book starts off with an excerpt of an Italian man finding a young female body on the beach. Which after having read the blurb of the book feels a little disconcerting. What does this body have to do with the main story line? of a family dealing with their grief after the tragic death of almost 3 year old Ruby-May?
We join Amy (Ruby-May's mother) and her family a short time before the first anniversary of the awful accident. It is clear - as with every aftermath of death - that every single member off the Flowers family, close and extended, is deeply affected by the loss of beautiful, energetic and young Ruby-May. The story is written from the perspectives of Amy, and her younger brother, Nick. Although not strictly written in the first person - its an odd combination of angles at times.
Nick suggests that they all go on holiday for the Anniversary, and to mend their family's fractures - being as that in the past year, many of them have not spoken. There are strong feelings of blame and guilt between them all, resulting in a deep divide which he hopes to resolve. This holiday, on a fictitious island in beautiful Italy, is where most of this story happens. Where Amy tries to muddle through her days full of grief, and Nick inadvertently finds himself on a quest to find out what REALLY happened that fateful day, almost a year ago.
The book jumps from present day to many points in the past - including the day we lose Ruby-May - and this creates a very rounded sense of the Flowers family. We are able to see mini moments in their childhood which reveal the relationships between each other, and with their parents. As with every family, they have their secrets, and as we know they always resurface at some point...
The book is written well and in no way did I struggle to connect with the characters - although the first half is quite slow burning. I did get to a point midway where a few points were revealed and I got very impatient - I finished the second half that evening! The reason why I had to ponder the book before writing this, was because I simply could not decide whether I liked it or not. I'm still unsure. The book has its reveals, twists and turns, and the characters are well rounded and explored - which are my main hooks in any book - however I personally felt the ending and its final twist was a little underwhelming? but then, to contradict myself, the lack of a thrilling shock made it all the more realistic, more emotional. Maybe it didn't need the fireworks. It ended with a flawed and healing family, like yours and mine.
The book starts off with an excerpt of an Italian man finding a young female body on the beach. Which after having read the blurb of the book feels a little disconcerting. What does this body have to do with the main story line? of a family dealing with their grief after the tragic death of almost 3 year old Ruby-May?
We join Amy (Ruby-May's mother) and her family a short time before the first anniversary of the awful accident. It is clear - as with every aftermath of death - that every single member off the Flowers family, close and extended, is deeply affected by the loss of beautiful, energetic and young Ruby-May. The story is written from the perspectives of Amy, and her younger brother, Nick. Although not strictly written in the first person - its an odd combination of angles at times.
Nick suggests that they all go on holiday for the Anniversary, and to mend their family's fractures - being as that in the past year, many of them have not spoken. There are strong feelings of blame and guilt between them all, resulting in a deep divide which he hopes to resolve. This holiday, on a fictitious island in beautiful Italy, is where most of this story happens. Where Amy tries to muddle through her days full of grief, and Nick inadvertently finds himself on a quest to find out what REALLY happened that fateful day, almost a year ago.
The book jumps from present day to many points in the past - including the day we lose Ruby-May - and this creates a very rounded sense of the Flowers family. We are able to see mini moments in their childhood which reveal the relationships between each other, and with their parents. As with every family, they have their secrets, and as we know they always resurface at some point...
The book is written well and in no way did I struggle to connect with the characters - although the first half is quite slow burning. I did get to a point midway where a few points were revealed and I got very impatient - I finished the second half that evening! The reason why I had to ponder the book before writing this, was because I simply could not decide whether I liked it or not. I'm still unsure. The book has its reveals, twists and turns, and the characters are well rounded and explored - which are my main hooks in any book - however I personally felt the ending and its final twist was a little underwhelming? but then, to contradict myself, the lack of a thrilling shock made it all the more realistic, more emotional. Maybe it didn't need the fireworks. It ended with a flawed and healing family, like yours and mine.