Scan barcode
A review by henrymarlene
In The Clearing by J.P. Pomare
4.0
book that is described as a thriller, or suspenseful, should provide those elements where you are sitting on the edge of your seat, or curled up in a foetal position, not wanting to now what happens next but draws you in to keep the pages turning. @jppomare succeeds with “In The Clearing”. The book moves between two narrators – Amy and Freya. They both have their own struggles and have a lot of personal conflict to conquer. They both had very clear voices and made it very easy to see their harrowing worlds from their perspectives. The writing evoked both quick and frantic atmospheres, and a depth to a scene just before something was about to unfold. The description of the bushland and noises in the night captured that very feeling when you can sense someone is there, watching you. And then there a glimpse of the Watcher.
The story moves very quickly so I recommend you read closely and carefully so you don’t miss the clues and the particular moments where things can almost slip past you. I also found that at times it was hard to warm to either Amy or Freya – they seemed cold and aloof, and at other times hold them close and tell them a brighter day was ahead. The author worked a lot of magic into these characters. And through this character development, you start to wonder how quickly a mind can be conditioned or manipulated. Will one always be susceptible to being swayed into believing a version of the truth? As the story unfolds, it becomes very raw and heartbreaking to see where connections have been made to Australia’s dark cult history, and with the characters in this book.
The story moves very quickly so I recommend you read closely and carefully so you don’t miss the clues and the particular moments where things can almost slip past you. I also found that at times it was hard to warm to either Amy or Freya – they seemed cold and aloof, and at other times hold them close and tell them a brighter day was ahead. The author worked a lot of magic into these characters. And through this character development, you start to wonder how quickly a mind can be conditioned or manipulated. Will one always be susceptible to being swayed into believing a version of the truth? As the story unfolds, it becomes very raw and heartbreaking to see where connections have been made to Australia’s dark cult history, and with the characters in this book.