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Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Pregnancy
Minor: Rape, Sexual violence
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Kidnapping
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping
Moderate: Mental illness, Rape, Death of parent
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Torture
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Grief, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Minor: Drug use, Homophobia, Infertility, Self harm, Vomit, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Kidnapping, Gaslighting
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol
- Sally can’t remember anything before her 7th birthday. She was adopted by a couple, and she doesn’t recall life before them.
- Sally is in her 40s now, and her father recently passed from cancer. Her mother had died some time ago. Sally has always been a loner, and she has struggled socially. She gets severe anxiety when dealing with others.
- Peter’s story intertwines, and it starts when he is a young boy in the 1970s.
- Heavy topics.
- Seamlessly woven together.
- Writing flows so well. Impossible to put down.
- Compelling, engrossing, & devastating read.
- Two POVs + alternates between past & present.
- Well-developed characters. Loved getting to learn the back stories.
- It’s impossible to not root for Sally!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic
I've never really been drawn to the crime genre and was unsure what to expect with this one but it came with great reviews & it definitely lived up to them!
I really loved Sally. I think Nugent's portrayal of Sally's mental health/disorders was brilliant. It felt respectful and researched. Although her personality featured definite stereotypes, it didn't feel contrived or over-exaggerated for the sake of it. Despite Sally being odd, she's loveable and Nugent writes her to be understood, vulnerable, funny & with a kind nature. The cast of the village are diverse without being 'different' which felt refreshing. Nugent tackles multiple social 'isms' with ease and delicately.
The character arc for all but Sally were unbelievably believable in the context of the plot and satisfying.
Peter was a difficult but interesting one, whilst understanding the disturbed and abusive upbringing leading to his personality/actions, Nugent still left you space to dislike him. Peter makes you question how much is nature vs nurture, he is perverse but not perverted in the way his father is which opens up this conversation. Is personality deeply rooted in genetics but the actions we take based on nurture/how we have learned life to be?
Masterclass in making a character the most despised. Not sure I've ever hated a character the way I did CG.
Central themes throughout the book of physical & mental abuse, violence and paedophilia. Thoughtfully and carefully explored but explored none the less. The exploration is tactful and gets to the root of the trauma that goes into & comes from it.
The ending leaves you with the idea/question, can we ever escape our upbringing? How much of an impact do those first few years have, and can it be changed later on? Themes of home, family, love and belonging also explored throughout. The cast of the village and their desire to help Sally, despite frustrations, helps to balance the evil of CG and his son. The light balances out the dark.
Another interesting theme Nugent takes on is anger. Everyone in this book is angry but their expression of it comes in many forms. Nugent writes each character differently but I could understand almost all of them, why they were angry and why they expressed it the way they did. Nugent writes as though all of us have anger in us but it's how we have been taught to deal with this that makes all the difference.
I felt the whole book was well paced, just the right amount of building into the story at the beginning and never really felt it dragging. The ending definitely felt like it came to a quick conclusion.
Lots of different strings and connections that all came together at the end. I wasn't left with unanswered questions or plot inconsistencies.
{SPOILER} I felt the ending to be somewhat frustrating. I was so happy for Sally when she had integrated into society, especially the party scenes. When it all fell apart so rapidly, it was like heartache for Sally, even though she can't see what she's lost. {SPOILER}
Graphic: Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping
Please be wary of the trigger warnings because it is so dark.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Kidnapping
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Abandonment
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent