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emily_mh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
This book was chilling. I read most of it home alone at night which wasn’t a good idea, I was thoroughly spooked! Fuller really knew how to build tension effectively, and how to make the narrative super creepy. It was this atmosphere along with other elements that made this book a great read.
I loved that the sole focus of the novel was the MC, Stacey, investigating her sister’s disappearance and trying to advance the search for her in a myriad of ways. It kept me engaged and propelled the plot forward. I also liked that although Stacey was developing feelings for a side character towards the end of the book, nothing actually eventuated within the book because the romance wasn’t important to the story.
Stacey made for a great MC. She was struggling to understand how science and culture could fit together as she was very science-minded. Related to this, at times she was made to reckon with how she could be putting colonial values over traditional ones. Her relationship with her twin sister was so realistic, showing how you can be angry with a sibling while loving them so much; how you can tease one another but have each other’s backs. It was this love and loyalty that drove Stacey to find her sister and it is palpable throughout the story.
I appreciated the time Fuller took in showing what it looks and feels like when a loved one goes missing. It made the situation feel very real. There was a lot of tension, specifically between Stacey and her mum, as Stacey was desperate to be involved in the search while her mum wanted to protect her. There was also so much community, with Stacey’s family showing up in every way to help with the search, coming over for dinner each night to debrief. I loved Rhi, Stacey’s cousin, in particular. I thought her character was a great combination of being ride-or-die and realistically scared of terrifying situations, and I was pleased that she grew to be such an important part of the book.
A major theme of the story is the legacy of colonisation, and ongoing colonisation. It manifests in many different ways in the narrative, damaging people, relationships, and land, and Fuller weaves it in with the overarching plot of the book too. I can’t really say much more without spoiling aspects of the book, but Fuller constructed this story so cleverly in relation to this. I’m really keen to read what Fuller comes out with next.
Rep: Aboriginal MC and SCs
Rep: Aboriginal MC and SCs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Confinement, Violence, Colonisation, Hate crime, Racism, Physical abuse, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cursing, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Grief, Child abuse, and Slavery
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Sexual violence, Murder, Excrement, Misogyny, Death of parent, Car accident, Sexual content, Body shaming, Gun violence, Blood, Infidelity, Sexism, Ableism, Alcohol, Police brutality, Death, Fatphobia, and Vomit
Major: missing loved one Moderate: multiple uses of the racist A-slur, loss of a loved one Minor: one use of the racist a-slur, reference to the Stolen Generation, imprisonment, disordered eating, lynching, child birth, toxic masculinity
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