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A review by motherhorror
The Light Over Broken Tide by Holly Ducarte
4.0
I met Holly through Instagram and we became fast friends. Holly is a poet. I read her collection, HIDING BONES when it made its debut and I enjoyed Holly's voice immediately (even though poetry is not really my thing)
THE LIGHT OVER BROKEN TIDE (what a beautiful title) is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Being a horror lover, a reader of thrillers and dark, dark fantasies--a moody, YA story wouldn't be high on my TBR--and to be honest, after Holly sent it to me, it did sit around for awhile because books in my wheelhouse cycled through my hands over and over again.
But Holly is my friend and she's an amazing, supportive person and I was feeling bad for neglecting her book.
One weekend, I picked it up and I read the first page. Again, Holly's unique, lyrical voice captured my attention and I kept reading.
The protagonist, Rebecca (Becky) is all of sixteen. A tragic death leaves Becky feeling alone and retreating into herself.
Her father shows up and whisks Becky off to some remote, coastal town for a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery.
I was low key annoyed with Becky for the better part of the book-just because she's a typical teenager who primarily thinks of herself. She complicates everything and treats people poorly.
But I also felt sorry for her since sixteen would be an awful time in one's life to have to deal with the weight of death, abandonment and mental illness.
So I was patient with her. It's a testament to Holly's writing that she was able to plumb the depths of a young girl's mind like that a draw out the complexities of her struggles.
I don't want to spoil and reader discoveries but I wanted to mention that I loved the way Holly tied in some age appropriate coping mechanisms to illustrate some strong themes of growing up. Life deals us a tough hand sometimes and this book is an insightful look into one, young girl's journey towards mental health and stability. I would definitely buy this for an YA readers in my life but adults who love these kinds of coming-of-age stories will enjoy it too.
THE LIGHT OVER BROKEN TIDE (what a beautiful title) is not a book I would have picked up on my own. Being a horror lover, a reader of thrillers and dark, dark fantasies--a moody, YA story wouldn't be high on my TBR--and to be honest, after Holly sent it to me, it did sit around for awhile because books in my wheelhouse cycled through my hands over and over again.
But Holly is my friend and she's an amazing, supportive person and I was feeling bad for neglecting her book.
One weekend, I picked it up and I read the first page. Again, Holly's unique, lyrical voice captured my attention and I kept reading.
The protagonist, Rebecca (Becky) is all of sixteen. A tragic death leaves Becky feeling alone and retreating into herself.
Her father shows up and whisks Becky off to some remote, coastal town for a bit of fresh air and a change of scenery.
I was low key annoyed with Becky for the better part of the book-just because she's a typical teenager who primarily thinks of herself. She complicates everything and treats people poorly.
But I also felt sorry for her since sixteen would be an awful time in one's life to have to deal with the weight of death, abandonment and mental illness.
So I was patient with her. It's a testament to Holly's writing that she was able to plumb the depths of a young girl's mind like that a draw out the complexities of her struggles.
I don't want to spoil and reader discoveries but I wanted to mention that I loved the way Holly tied in some age appropriate coping mechanisms to illustrate some strong themes of growing up. Life deals us a tough hand sometimes and this book is an insightful look into one, young girl's journey towards mental health and stability. I would definitely buy this for an YA readers in my life but adults who love these kinds of coming-of-age stories will enjoy it too.