Books On Tour (Review): The Daughter's Promise by Sarah Clutton

After the pulse-pounding thriller I finished previously, I thought it would be nice to read something that was a bit simpler. I quickly found out, however, that there was an underlying current to this book that was almost as intriguing as the thriller.

Plot points are described in the blurb found on multiple sites, which is sort of a pet peeve of mine. I know that blurbs are supposed to create buzz, but I don’t like it when so much of the plot is given away in them. If I know too much going in, I look for those points thereby possibly missing other important things.  

In this case (thankfully) I didn’t read the whole blurb before I read the book. I was able to enjoy the revelations of the book as they occurred, which I think is very important to how I view a book when I am finished.

I liked being able to understand each of the women as they were introduced and to follow them through the story. The message that secrets can destroy families was very clear and the plot points that illustrated that theme were organic and plausible.

I related to Willa very strongly. I am an adoptee and also know very little about my birth parents. The scene where she thinks about her medical history especially struck home, because I go through the same thing every time I go to the doctor. It is sometimes disheartening to have to say “I don’t know” to family medical histories, especially as I get older and certain diseases or problems can arise.

I thought the differences between Annabelle and Sylvia were very interesting. They were almost polar opposites, with each thinking they were happier than the other…when in reality neither was entirely satisfied (as evidenced by both of their actions).

This wasn’t a page-turner in a thriller sense, but it did keep me reading to get to the bottom of Lillian’s motivations. It was nicely crafted to wind its way through the different points of view to arrive at the resolution.  I would definitely recommend this book.

Author Bio

Sarah Clutton is an Australian author and former lawyer whose debut novel, Good Little Liars, mixes suspense and domestic drama with nuanced characters. Having majored in psychology in her original degree, Sarah is fascinated by people. How does the past shape us? Can we can learn empathy? What determines the outcomes when moral and legal boundaries collide?

Sarah’s work earned her the Dymocks/Fiona McIntosh Commercial Fiction Scholarship in 2018, a coveted national award run by one of Australia’s most successful commercial fiction authors and sponsored by Australia’s largest book chain. An alumna of the Australian Writers’ Centre novel writing course, and with a mostly-finished Master of Arts (Writing) that she has no interest in finishing because she prefers making stuff up, Sarah lives with her family in the very pretty tourist town of Bowral, near Sydney. She has lived all over Australia, and if she didn’t live in Bowral, she would live in Hobart, the most beautiful city she knows.