A review by shelleyrae
Into My Arms by Kylie Ladd

4.0

In her previous novels, Kylie Ladd has written with compelling insight into uncomfortable issues including adultery in [b:After the Fall|7710152|After the Fall|Kylie Ladd|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320454913s/7710152.jpg|10428190] and death and grief in [b:Last Summer|11584203|Last Summer|Kylie Ladd|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1307513385s/11584203.jpg|16525613]. Into My Arms, her third novel, is similarly confronting while examining the complexities of family, love and desire.

It's incredibly difficult to articulate my thoughts about Into My Arms while avoiding spoilers. The back cover hints at love at first sight followed by a passionate relationship which is then shattered by a shocking revelation but it is much more than that. Skye and Ben are nearly destroyed by a phenomena that challenges moral and societal conventions and Into My Arms explores it's devastating effects on both the couple and their families.

What could have been a tawdry, sensationalistic subject, is dealt with carefully, shedding a compassionate light on a little known issue that is particularly relevant in modern society. There is no getting away from the fact that most readers will find it confronting but I think Ladd does a terrific job in humanising the issue by placing ordinary people at the center of the maelstrom.

While the controversial main plot will garner the most attention, there is a prominent subplot in the book not alluded to in the blurb. Zia is a pupil of Ben and Skye, a young boy from an immigrant Iranian family who is struggling to adjust to his new life. While Zia's story is linked by the themes of family and estrangement, and he develops connections with the main characters, I thought it out of place somehow. Don't get me wrong, it is interesting in and of itself, but I didn't find it necessary and I wondered if it's purpose was to blunt the confronting nature of Ben and Skye's circumstance.

Regardless, I found Into My Arms to be a fascinating and thought provoking novel. I devoured it in hours and I suspect it will stimulate discussion amongst all who read it.