“There was more to life, more to death, than medical science had known.”
I enjoyed this novel immensely. The first sixty pages are intense and a tad complicated, but upon passing them, the novel was phenomenal.
There’s so much the reader questions throughout the reading process. It isn’t until those last hundred pages that everything comes to light and fruition, and as expected, the truth is very upsetting. The intrigue and mystery is hands down one of the best aspects of this novel because Setterfield is great at laying it out but not giving anything away. I was constantly wondering how certain storylines fit together, and I didn't expect it to weave together as seamlessly as it did. It was like magic, and yes, the pun is intended.
Also the novel is great at depicting loss, PTSD, and the complexity of family. I just want to hug everyone because the world is so cruel sometimes! Family is such an underrated aspect to novels, and this one truly had me feeling ever emotion known to mankind.
I adored the references and importance of the river. The whole time it was this powerful force that really just urges the plot forward where you realize it or not. I also thought the river may be drowned out throughout the course of the story by events happening but that was not the case at all. If anything the river becomes EVEN more imperative to the plot. It shows the importance of this river not only to these characters but to the city/ time period as well. I don't think we think about how incredible things like rivers are. We just go around soaking in their normalcy in our lives.
I will mention trigger warnings such as abuse, racism, trauma, sexual assault (though it is alluded to and not shown), and massive amounts of depression. I feel that Setterfield represented all of these well. She made these people so tangible that I can only applaud her. Again, I was emotional throughout this story, which is hard to do in itself for me, but i think that just shows how impactful this story became.
The setting (besides the river) also deserves praise because it felt like the Darwinian Age. Rita, a nurse, and Daunt, a photographer, are the symbols of technology and innovation throughout the story, and their contrast to the storyline was my favorite. Furthermore, their interactions left me squealing A LOT. Rita is such a solid feminist figure of the time, whether she believes herself to be one or not, and I found myself sitting up a little straighter whenever she worked her magic. Daunt too fascinated me with his passion for photography and helping people.
All in all, I recommend this story to people who tend to read adult novels. I say this because the plot and pacing is much slower than YA, so I feel YA readers will become bored very quickly. The mystery within this novel is also very unclear, and it takes lots of dissection to keep it straight. It’s a wonderful story, but it’s not for the faint of heart.
I enjoyed this novel immensely. The first sixty pages are intense and a tad complicated, but upon passing them, the novel was phenomenal.
There’s so much the reader questions throughout the reading process. It isn’t until those last hundred pages that everything comes to light and fruition, and as expected, the truth is very upsetting. The intrigue and mystery is hands down one of the best aspects of this novel because Setterfield is great at laying it out but not giving anything away. I was constantly wondering how certain storylines fit together, and I didn't expect it to weave together as seamlessly as it did. It was like magic, and yes, the pun is intended.
Also the novel is great at depicting loss, PTSD, and the complexity of family. I just want to hug everyone because the world is so cruel sometimes! Family is such an underrated aspect to novels, and this one truly had me feeling ever emotion known to mankind.
I adored the references and importance of the river. The whole time it was this powerful force that really just urges the plot forward where you realize it or not. I also thought the river may be drowned out throughout the course of the story by events happening but that was not the case at all. If anything the river becomes EVEN more imperative to the plot. It shows the importance of this river not only to these characters but to the city/ time period as well. I don't think we think about how incredible things like rivers are. We just go around soaking in their normalcy in our lives.
I will mention trigger warnings such as abuse, racism, trauma, sexual assault (though it is alluded to and not shown), and massive amounts of depression. I feel that Setterfield represented all of these well. She made these people so tangible that I can only applaud her. Again, I was emotional throughout this story, which is hard to do in itself for me, but i think that just shows how impactful this story became.
The setting (besides the river) also deserves praise because it felt like the Darwinian Age. Rita, a nurse, and Daunt, a photographer, are the symbols of technology and innovation throughout the story, and their contrast to the storyline was my favorite. Furthermore, their interactions left me squealing A LOT. Rita is such a solid feminist figure of the time, whether she believes herself to be one or not, and I found myself sitting up a little straighter whenever she worked her magic. Daunt too fascinated me with his passion for photography and helping people.
All in all, I recommend this story to people who tend to read adult novels. I say this because the plot and pacing is much slower than YA, so I feel YA readers will become bored very quickly. The mystery within this novel is also very unclear, and it takes lots of dissection to keep it straight. It’s a wonderful story, but it’s not for the faint of heart.