I was drawn to this book by the interesting setting – with the action unfolding under the dark, brooding skies of Idaho in winter. What I wasn’t prepared for was a book that was also so dark in content!
The story follows Jack Dahl, a teenager who is left caring for his younger brother after the suicide of their mother. His father is in prison, leading Jack to embark on a scramble to find his hidden drug money. However, Jack isn’t the only one on the trail…
I’ll admit that this was not an easy read – the story is bleak and there are points that are really heartbreaking, for example Jack’s fleeting hope of having a job which is then snatched away from him because of his family name. And any scene with Matty in – the child unquestioningly trusting his big brother to protect him while Jack makes increasingly desperate decisions.
However, there are also some excellent reasons to read this book:
The setting – I love books set in interesting places that are unlike where I live. As I live in the grey dullness of northern-ish England, it felt exciting to escape to the bleak, snowy landscapes of Idaho in the depths of winter. It is the perfect setting for this story, adding another layer of hardship and challenge to the survival story of the Dahl brothers.
The style – Anderson’s writing is beautiful. Despite the often heart-wrenching things being described, the writing is vibrant, vivid and always engaging. I found that the concision of the descriptions always struck a chord and allowed me to picture exactly what was meant – ‘A disembodied sound. Like ash drifting’, a ‘granite sky’, ‘the shift of dark trees’. Anderson’s use of imagery is often surprising and really allows readers to imagine her dark and bleak world.
The characters – Jack isn’t perfect and makes some bad decisions as any teenager in his situation would. Bardem is utterly terrifying and brings real menace to the novel beyond what the Dahl brothers’ situation would suggest. Ava is – although not in the novel as much as I expected – a realistic figure caught in an impossible situation. And Matty is the innocent caught up in a life that he doesn’t deserve. This is a world that is vividly populated, although not always with the nicest people!
The pace – From Jack’s tragic discovery of his mother’s body at the start of the novel, the action barely slows. The reader is carried along at often breakneck speed and it is a breathless ride. There is genuine terror and tension in this book and it is compelling.
The narration – Although Jack’s story is told by an omniscient narrator, the italicised sections at the start of chapters give us an intriguing first person narrative from Ava. Often poetic and opaque in meaning, these sections add a sense of mystery and poignancy to the story.
This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is gritty, brutal and unflinchingly violent in places – definitely one to check the trigger warnings on before you read. However, if your preferred reading is on the shadowy end of the spectrum, this could well be a great book for you.
The story follows Jack Dahl, a teenager who is left caring for his younger brother after the suicide of their mother. His father is in prison, leading Jack to embark on a scramble to find his hidden drug money. However, Jack isn’t the only one on the trail…
I’ll admit that this was not an easy read – the story is bleak and there are points that are really heartbreaking, for example Jack’s fleeting hope of having a job which is then snatched away from him because of his family name. And any scene with Matty in – the child unquestioningly trusting his big brother to protect him while Jack makes increasingly desperate decisions.
However, there are also some excellent reasons to read this book:
The setting – I love books set in interesting places that are unlike where I live. As I live in the grey dullness of northern-ish England, it felt exciting to escape to the bleak, snowy landscapes of Idaho in the depths of winter. It is the perfect setting for this story, adding another layer of hardship and challenge to the survival story of the Dahl brothers.
The style – Anderson’s writing is beautiful. Despite the often heart-wrenching things being described, the writing is vibrant, vivid and always engaging. I found that the concision of the descriptions always struck a chord and allowed me to picture exactly what was meant – ‘A disembodied sound. Like ash drifting’, a ‘granite sky’, ‘the shift of dark trees’. Anderson’s use of imagery is often surprising and really allows readers to imagine her dark and bleak world.
The characters – Jack isn’t perfect and makes some bad decisions as any teenager in his situation would. Bardem is utterly terrifying and brings real menace to the novel beyond what the Dahl brothers’ situation would suggest. Ava is – although not in the novel as much as I expected – a realistic figure caught in an impossible situation. And Matty is the innocent caught up in a life that he doesn’t deserve. This is a world that is vividly populated, although not always with the nicest people!
The pace – From Jack’s tragic discovery of his mother’s body at the start of the novel, the action barely slows. The reader is carried along at often breakneck speed and it is a breathless ride. There is genuine terror and tension in this book and it is compelling.
The narration – Although Jack’s story is told by an omniscient narrator, the italicised sections at the start of chapters give us an intriguing first person narrative from Ava. Often poetic and opaque in meaning, these sections add a sense of mystery and poignancy to the story.
This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is gritty, brutal and unflinchingly violent in places – definitely one to check the trigger warnings on before you read. However, if your preferred reading is on the shadowy end of the spectrum, this could well be a great book for you.