All the good things from the Connellys of County Down
There’s just something about a book like this, all about a family, that invites you in like a guest. You stay for dinner but you’re never asked to leave and then, before you know it, you become a part of this family, all of its history and secrets and grief.
That family history here belongs to Tara, a tenacious young woman recently released from prison, and her two older siblings with layers upon layers of their own trauma. We follow Tara as she settles into her life after more than a year in prison and as the novel moved forward, the truth of her incarceration slowly unravels. As is so often the case, those secrets are more rooted in what happened years ago than they are about the present.
Tracey Lange creates a startlingly real family in the Connelly who are somehow endlessly likable while making choices that are almost infuriating. I was very fond of Tara and her brother in particular but felt connected to each of the characters. Lance’s gift is in creating full characters, even the ones who exist in the sidelines of the plot, without giving us very much detail. Her characters encourage empathy in the reader.
Bonus points for a little bit of an unconventional romance amidst it all.
The audiobook was beautifully done, with narration that felt authentic to the characters, and pacing that met the plot’s pace.
4.5 stars, only because I’m not sure the book needed to wrap up so neatly at the end. Maybe it didn’t? I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t want to say goodbye!
Thank you to Celadon Books for this ARC.
That family history here belongs to Tara, a tenacious young woman recently released from prison, and her two older siblings with layers upon layers of their own trauma. We follow Tara as she settles into her life after more than a year in prison and as the novel moved forward, the truth of her incarceration slowly unravels. As is so often the case, those secrets are more rooted in what happened years ago than they are about the present.
Tracey Lange creates a startlingly real family in the Connelly who are somehow endlessly likable while making choices that are almost infuriating. I was very fond of Tara and her brother in particular but felt connected to each of the characters. Lance’s gift is in creating full characters, even the ones who exist in the sidelines of the plot, without giving us very much detail. Her characters encourage empathy in the reader.
Bonus points for a little bit of an unconventional romance amidst it all.
The audiobook was beautifully done, with narration that felt authentic to the characters, and pacing that met the plot’s pace.
4.5 stars, only because I’m not sure the book needed to wrap up so neatly at the end. Maybe it didn’t? I don’t know. Maybe I just didn’t want to say goodbye!
Thank you to Celadon Books for this ARC.