Full disclosure. Not only is this my much younger 75 year old sister’s contemporary debut novel, published last month, but it is also published by the same publisher who published my first book although the name and location of the company has changed.
The plot gets quite complex with a lot of characters, some despicable rogues and some angelic saints, and some with in-between and changeable traits. However, the reader should be able to keep them straight by paying careful attention to the dates (May, 1990 to the summer of 2013), and locations (Toronto or Montreal), at the start of the 30 chapters. Fortunately there are no time shifts which I personally don’t like, other than in the flashbacks and nightmares of the main character, Hannah Brown.
The first few chapters seem to point to a past incestuous relationship or at least some sexual abuse, and indeed this is confirmed gradually as Hannah learns to accept her past. Even these are described discretely without the pornographic details common in many modern novels.
I won’t give away more of the plot except to point out that there is a distinct feminist flavour to it and many wise insights into the characters, some smart advice for parents of rebellious teens, and some surprises in the simple genetic information those teens uncover. Even the nouns in the title seem to take on new meaning.
Hannah could be accused of being overly introspective, emotional and dramatic in her reactions but they are in response to emotional and physical trauma worse than 99% of readers will ever experience, and these traits are made to seem realistic.
The writing is gripping and there are dozens of surprise twists with no loose ends that I can recall.
4.9/5
Congratulations.
The Passionate Reader 