The blurbs for this fiction/family drama novel state that it is “emotional.” It is an emotional read. But I am not sure that it is the emotion they were going for.
The best parts of this novel are the lessons learned by the characters. In fact, as I am reviewing my notes for this book, I am seeing more and more. Here are just a few that I noticed:
Family: What is the meaning of family? What are the responsibilities of family members? What makes a family…well, a family?
Beth asks herself all of these questions over the course of the book. The position she finds herself in causes some serious introspection. In her case, it is much needed.
Assumptions: Don’t make them. Foundations are not built on them. Nothing good comes from them.
Both Beth and Gemma are guilty of seeing the other through assumptions instead of getting to know each other properly. Obviously, this causes much discord, which adds to the tragedy.
Respect: It is a vital component in any relationship. Beth does not show a lot to Drew and neither does Gemma. This is a direct cause of the event that opens the book.
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Honestly, I spent a lot of this book despising Beth. She came across as spoiled, shallow, and single-focused on her kids. Not that the latter is a bad thing, but it certainly skewed her perspective.
But, as Gemma comes to terms with Beth’s demeanor, I did too. Beth’s interactions with her family are also informative and shine light on why Beth is the way she is.
Interestingly, Gemma and Beth are more similar than either one realizes. They both let their pasts dictate their present instead of embracing the present for what it is.
And then this brings us to Drew.
I felt for him the most in this entire family drama because he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. Who wouldn’t fold in that situation?
A couple of subplots did not do a lot for me. For example, the reason for Tristan’s surliness (although that was a nice little twist towards the end) seems contrived.
And the number of kids in the family appeared more for convenience of the plot rather than depth (two of them didn’t have a lot to do with the story at all).
But as I said at the beginning of this review, the power of this family drama is in the messages and lessons it teaches. And frankly, the strongest one is at the very end.
One bit of kindness can open a whole new world of understanding between people. That is certainly something to remember, especially in the times we are living in.
If you are interested, you can find other family drama novels here and here.
Author Bio:
Sam Vickery is an English author who loves gritty, emotional stories that can make you sob. As a child, she was forever getting in trouble for being caught with her nose in a book, and these days are no different. She lives on the south coast of England with her husband, two children and a cat that thinks it’s a dog.
