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A review by wye3
We Lie Here by Rachel Howzell Hall
4.0
4.50 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This novel is a mystery crime-thriller, which is typical of this author, and I’ve only read one other title in her collection.
The novel centers around the family and the planning of an anniversary dinner. Yara [Ya-Ya for short] our protagonist, and eldest daughter is planning a this event for her parents (but mainly her mother).
The impression that I get that “B” (short for Barb or Barabara), is a head strong Mom that puts her kids first (sorta). Ya-Ya has a younger sister, Dominque, who is 19 and has just started college.
QUOTE: “Every Summer, they arrived and talked loudly, and never kept private things private, and always spilled those secrets across the woods like cheap wine.”
Ya-Ya has been plagued over the years with several chronic illnesses, such as allergies, asthma, anxiety, and depression. She also used to sleepwalk. Ya-Ya saw this as the main reason to move away from her parent's house because she relates this to her many illnesses. The dryness of Palmdale, and the fact that her mother constantly smokes (as well as her sister) even though Ya-Ya is asthmatic, which bothered me because wouldn’t any parent (family member) curb smoking, if only temporarily because their child (or sibling) had these issues. That was my first flag. (As there were many)
This book seems typical of a Howzell novel because there are family secrets and something that happened in the past, which leads to a murder in the present day, which results in more conflict. “We Lie Here” also has a similar ending to “These Toxic Things”, but with a different sub-plot and I didn’t mind that.
We Lie Here was an audiobook book for me, and although the narrator’s voice was a little unbelievable in conjunction with the story, it’s something you get used to and wasn’t cringe-worthy. It's one of those stories that I thought I had it. But when I put a piece together, the finished line was moved, and I was back to guessing. There was something I figured out right off the bat and something that caught me entirely off guard.
This was a nice break from all my supernatural, paranormal wheelhouse of reading, and I love supporting my African American authors.
This novel is a mystery crime-thriller, which is typical of this author, and I’ve only read one other title in her collection.
The novel centers around the family and the planning of an anniversary dinner. Yara [Ya-Ya for short] our protagonist, and eldest daughter is planning a this event for her parents (but mainly her mother).
The impression that I get that “B” (short for Barb or Barabara), is a head strong Mom that puts her kids first (sorta). Ya-Ya has a younger sister, Dominque, who is 19 and has just started college.
QUOTE: “Every Summer, they arrived and talked loudly, and never kept private things private, and always spilled those secrets across the woods like cheap wine.”
Ya-Ya has been plagued over the years with several chronic illnesses, such as allergies, asthma, anxiety, and depression. She also used to sleepwalk. Ya-Ya saw this as the main reason to move away from her parent's house because she relates this to her many illnesses. The dryness of Palmdale, and the fact that her mother constantly smokes (as well as her sister) even though Ya-Ya is asthmatic, which bothered me because wouldn’t any parent (family member) curb smoking, if only temporarily because their child (or sibling) had these issues. That was my first flag. (As there were many)
This book seems typical of a Howzell novel because there are family secrets and something that happened in the past, which leads to a murder in the present day, which results in more conflict. “We Lie Here” also has a similar ending to “These Toxic Things”, but with a different sub-plot and I didn’t mind that.
We Lie Here was an audiobook book for me, and although the narrator’s voice was a little unbelievable in conjunction with the story, it’s something you get used to and wasn’t cringe-worthy. It's one of those stories that I thought I had it. But when I put a piece together, the finished line was moved, and I was back to guessing. There was something I figured out right off the bat and something that caught me entirely off guard.
This was a nice break from all my supernatural, paranormal wheelhouse of reading, and I love supporting my African American authors.