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A review by juliwi
Over the Falls by Rebecca Hodge
3.0
Sometimes a cover just pulls you straight in. For me, that was the case with Over the Falls by Rebecca Hodge. It is so vivid and the sense of danger but also temptation is utterly present. The novel itself is not unlike a watery roller-coaster, fraught with danger but also moments that make you go 'what?'. Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm not sure whether to attach a mild spoiler alert here, but I did want to discuss one of the major topics of Over the Falls, which could potentially reveal some of the directions the novel goes into. SO consider yourself warned. The opioid crisis is central to some of the storylines in Over the Falls and Hodge doesn't shy away from laying it out rather clearly how much damage it does to a person and their family. Prescription drugs can be a slippery slope for some and the way out of that hole is long and difficult, and those who suffer under it are not always extended the right kind of compassion and help. While Over the Falls cannot address everything, it does try to give it its rightful place without taking over much advantage of the drama it can bring. I think it is important for novels, even thrillers, to engage with social issues like that in a way that is kind but also clear. Drug addiction, whatever form it takes, is a reality for many people and its impact runs deep. As long as novels don't use it as a cheap shot or as an easy way to victim-blame and shame a character, it can be a really valuable experience for a reader who doesn't have direct experience with this themselves. While I can't say Over the Falls goes deeply into the topic, it does provide a glimpse into that life.
Bryn has plenty of things on her mind, like the fact her goat is giving birth and that her friendly relationship with her neighbour has taken an interesting turn. The last thing she needs is her nephew showing up on her doorstep, bringing with him mystery and danger. So she packs up and hits the road with Josh in the search for her trouble-making sister. Along the ride she'll find out more about her own past and her sister's life than she ever bargained for. And maybe, just maybe, she will get back into the whitewater again. Over the Falls is packed to the brim with twists, turns, revelations, and potential disaster. Hodge does her best to balance this with quiet beats, with moments of reflection and bonding. This meant that while I definitely wanted to solve the mystery, I found myself more engaged with the growing relationship between Bryn and Josh, who reach across countless barriers and unspoken traumas to form a strong bond. The rest of the characters, in comparison, feel a little flat although they're perfectly serviceable for the story.
Rebecca Hodge has crafted an interesting novel that uses relatable tropes but introduces new twists and ideas. The whitewater rafting is something that truly ratches up the tension, while tying in nicely with many of the other plot threads. It is, however, one of the few elements of Over the Falls that really stands out. For the rest, many of the elements of the novel are the usual suspects: tense family relationships, a betrayal in the past, a potential love interest a damaged protagonist can't quite embrace yet, a teenager that is too mature for their age, a dangerous man from the past, the end that brings it all together surprisingly neatly. All these elements fit together nicely, which is what makes many thriller and suspense novels such a good time. You know where things are headed, which means that the new and twisty elements really get to surprise you. What bogs down the narrative slightly is the back and forth between Bryn and Josh, in the sense that we get chapters narrated from both sides, yet the two don't entirely trust one another with all the information. It means that there is a lot of repetition of certain things, of characters finding out information way after the reader, which can be fun but can also really slow down the pace of a story. Overall, I found Over the Falls a fun and quick read, with a specifically engaging aunt-nephew relationship at its heart.
Over the Falls is a thrilling read, full of twists and building tension, but with a deep layer of tragedy at its core. Also, maybe I would like a farm as well, with baby goats...
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2022/03/review-over-falls-by-rebecca-hodge.html
I'm not sure whether to attach a mild spoiler alert here, but I did want to discuss one of the major topics of Over the Falls, which could potentially reveal some of the directions the novel goes into. SO consider yourself warned. The opioid crisis is central to some of the storylines in Over the Falls and Hodge doesn't shy away from laying it out rather clearly how much damage it does to a person and their family. Prescription drugs can be a slippery slope for some and the way out of that hole is long and difficult, and those who suffer under it are not always extended the right kind of compassion and help. While Over the Falls cannot address everything, it does try to give it its rightful place without taking over much advantage of the drama it can bring. I think it is important for novels, even thrillers, to engage with social issues like that in a way that is kind but also clear. Drug addiction, whatever form it takes, is a reality for many people and its impact runs deep. As long as novels don't use it as a cheap shot or as an easy way to victim-blame and shame a character, it can be a really valuable experience for a reader who doesn't have direct experience with this themselves. While I can't say Over the Falls goes deeply into the topic, it does provide a glimpse into that life.
Bryn has plenty of things on her mind, like the fact her goat is giving birth and that her friendly relationship with her neighbour has taken an interesting turn. The last thing she needs is her nephew showing up on her doorstep, bringing with him mystery and danger. So she packs up and hits the road with Josh in the search for her trouble-making sister. Along the ride she'll find out more about her own past and her sister's life than she ever bargained for. And maybe, just maybe, she will get back into the whitewater again. Over the Falls is packed to the brim with twists, turns, revelations, and potential disaster. Hodge does her best to balance this with quiet beats, with moments of reflection and bonding. This meant that while I definitely wanted to solve the mystery, I found myself more engaged with the growing relationship between Bryn and Josh, who reach across countless barriers and unspoken traumas to form a strong bond. The rest of the characters, in comparison, feel a little flat although they're perfectly serviceable for the story.
Rebecca Hodge has crafted an interesting novel that uses relatable tropes but introduces new twists and ideas. The whitewater rafting is something that truly ratches up the tension, while tying in nicely with many of the other plot threads. It is, however, one of the few elements of Over the Falls that really stands out. For the rest, many of the elements of the novel are the usual suspects: tense family relationships, a betrayal in the past, a potential love interest a damaged protagonist can't quite embrace yet, a teenager that is too mature for their age, a dangerous man from the past, the end that brings it all together surprisingly neatly. All these elements fit together nicely, which is what makes many thriller and suspense novels such a good time. You know where things are headed, which means that the new and twisty elements really get to surprise you. What bogs down the narrative slightly is the back and forth between Bryn and Josh, in the sense that we get chapters narrated from both sides, yet the two don't entirely trust one another with all the information. It means that there is a lot of repetition of certain things, of characters finding out information way after the reader, which can be fun but can also really slow down the pace of a story. Overall, I found Over the Falls a fun and quick read, with a specifically engaging aunt-nephew relationship at its heart.
Over the Falls is a thrilling read, full of twists and building tension, but with a deep layer of tragedy at its core. Also, maybe I would like a farm as well, with baby goats...
URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/2022/03/review-over-falls-by-rebecca-hodge.html