Reviews
Thank you to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the free ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. The cover and summary of this one piqued my interest as soon as I saw it. As I started to read the book, thought, I couldn't help but feel a bit underwhelmed, and often disappointed. The pace felt so slow for me, and I couldn't get in touch with most of Elin's motives and attitudes. It was so hard to connect with most of the characters as well. I didn't like it, overall. Just not my cup of tea.
I started this book thinking it would be for me but as I progressed I found myself having trouble keeping interested or at least concerned for the characters. The book deals with heavy issues, normally this would make me sympathetic to the character/s that have to deal or are dealing with those issues, in this case, I wasn't. I disliked Elin's attitude all throughout. The way she deflects situations, and neglects to take into account the feelings of those around her. Some side characters in the story weren't so bad but their personalities really weren't distinct for me that I wasn't able to feel a connection with them. The writing was quick and easy so much so that the conversations felt rushed and unrealistic. Since I disliked or was indifferent to the characters, I found it hard to connect to the plot. Thanks to Netgalley and the published for the arc!
Thank you Netgally for an advance copy of this book. This book is written in a dual timeline and it follows the story of Elin. The first timeline takes place on a small island in Sweden while Elin and it starts in 1979. The second timeline takes places in New York in 2017. As a child Elin grows up in a poor and dysfunctional family with a father in jail for a robbery gone very wrong and a mother who struggles to provide for her children. Elin’s life is tough, and she knows first-hand what hunger, cold and lack mean. In the second timeline, Elin has a great career as a celebrated and famous photographer, is married to Sam, a businessman and has a very talented daughter, Alice, but even so, her life is fracturing around her. The two timelines are presented in alternate chapters. As an adult Elin is struggling to connect and be open with her family and this leads to her losing almost everything she loves. She is so scarred by her passed, her family do not know the truth about her origins and her real family. When a letter arrives from someone she dearly loved in her past, all her secrets and guilt threaten to break out and totally ruin her life. I enjoyed this book very much. I found the writing gripping and the short chapters kept me turning pages. The characters are likeable, but I feel that they could have been developed more. I would have enjoyed the story more if the book had been longer and the characters delved into more.
