Real life has been a little daunting lately. As such, I have done quite a bit of reading but very little reviewing. I just can’t get my mind back in the game for some reason. I fear with how the next few months will go that will get much worse, but I’ll do my best. I am determined to finish my reading challenge, so I’m going to try my best for that final push. With so many reviews on deck, I’ve found myself having to think back very hard about some reads to remind myself of what they were even about. Sadly, some books just don’t leave an impression and thoughts get muddled afterward. This one, however, is not one of those books.

Synopsis

Twenty years ago, a troubled boy from a local orphanage is swept away by the unforgiving arms of the vicious sea off the Oregon coast. Most people forgot about Dennis, but everyone will remember him when a young woman claiming to be the lost boy’s sister turns up out of the blue looking for information. Amanda Dufresne, always having felt like an outsider unable to connect with anyone, seeks the answers that tell her who she is and why she is so different. With the help of her new friend, retired police officer and recently widowed Larry Palmer, a new resident to the sleepy town, Amanda will wake the sleeping giants of the past which might just unearth more secrets than Amanda had anticipated.

Review

If I were to write a book, I would hope it would turn out like this. It has this effortlessly beautiful ambience that has just the right amount of darkness. Every character oozes a complexity that muddies the reader’s perspective. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a clear sense of right and wrong. It just says so much about how one person’s repressed pain can be wielded like a weapon. It’s about how we can hurt each other and how those lasting reverberations affect those who come in our wake. Thematically this is so tragic but so profound. It’s a difficult read, as so much of it revolves around abuse and neglect as well as loss. Amanda is such a refreshingly unique main character, a bit strange and awkward but so relatable on a human level. Each character, including those just supporting the narrative, is finely tuned with intricate imperfections. I could really feel the spirit of the town and the people in it, complete with its sadness and repressed memories.

It’s not a long book. It’s well paced and competently crafted, neither lagging nor rushing the conclusion. Denfeld is a true wordsmith. Her language is lyrical without being pretentious, and it mirrors and accentuates the dark undertones of the setting. Honestly, there’s just so much I could say about this book. I found the big reveal to be a bit predictable, but it really didn’t bother me. I enjoyed the journey of walking with Amanda as she sought to find herself and to help another (a non-human other) find herself as well. Vague, I know, but it’s just one you have to experience for yourself. It’s a lovely, amazing book.

Published March 26, 2024 by Harper. ISBN 9780063014732. Hardcover. 293 pages.