chriboguy

Overall, I found this novel a bit overdone. It felt silly to me to hold parts of the story hostage for so long while showing us the aftermath. There is enough substance to these characters to engage readers without getting so mired down in the slow reveal. There were also several places where things were dropped into the story like breadcrumbs - because they connected to parts of Amanda's secret that would be revealed later - but they were often so obviously mentioned solely for that reason that I was annoyed to be taken out of the story. For example, early on Clement uses a knife, but it's not his usual knife with his initials on it, which is missing. It's like a flashing sign saying, hey, remember this knife bit! The fact that it's missing will come up later and then you'll see how cleverly put together this story is! That said, I did appreciate the, in some ways tragic, transformation of Ruth from being a lot like Mattie to being a lot like Amanda. As a young child, she is carefree, active, curious, and unworried about rules and standards. She does have a stubborn streak though, which Amanda nurtures. Without Mattie there to keep the flame of loving life alive in her daughter, it is snuffed in Ruth who more and more takes her cues from Amanda. There is one key difference, however. Ruth, unlike Amanda, never hurts anyone until the very end of the novel where she more or less has to choose between the two women she loves most, both of whom have used her in many ways throughout her life. Where Amanda frequently sacrifices others to protect her secret, Ruth freely sacrifices herself to ensure the happiness of others. Watching this transformation in Ruth was both fascinating and heartbreaking. If the whole "mystery" thing would have been less clunky and less of a distraction, I would have rated this one more star. Themes: water, family, secrets, love, selfishness, sacrifice, unintended consequences, women

2022-11-14 16:56