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A review by darkpsychereads
A Nearly Normal Family by M.T. Edvardsson
5.0
4.5 Stars - Deceptively clever legal thriller
I almost gave up, but the first third of the book is deliberate in portraying this naive fatherly character. It escalates into something fantastic, trust me, stick with it.
This is a very cleverly written book, and it is unputdownable towards the end.
Father is a highly-esteemed pastor and expects his daughter is innocent, Mother is a lawyer who has distanced herself from motherhood, and a wild-child teen daughter who is accused of murder. The story is told in thirds and the first third is explored through the fathers eyes, and is admittedly slow and certainly doesn't represent the pace of the two remaining thirds. The second part is described through the daughter's perspective, and the character immediately becomes likeable - Stella is sharp, witty and impulsive, and I enjoy every moment of her experiences as she explores young adulthood with her best friend Amina. They encounter a charming young man who triggers a series of strange events, leading to his body being found, with Stella in question of murder.
The truth is not so simple, and the events unravel in a deceptively unique fashion during the last third, told through the mothers lawful eyes. It's almost a story that is told in thematic segments of religion-psychology-law, and how these modes of thinking interact.
The ending feels like a crescendo of discovery and emotion, and I truly enjoyed this book.
"Is there any sort of situation where you can say with certainty that a single person is responsible for what happens? Everything in life is dependent on so many different factors that interact in so many different ways."
Highly recommended read!
I almost gave up, but the first third of the book is deliberate in portraying this naive fatherly character. It escalates into something fantastic, trust me, stick with it.
This is a very cleverly written book, and it is unputdownable towards the end.
Father is a highly-esteemed pastor and expects his daughter is innocent, Mother is a lawyer who has distanced herself from motherhood, and a wild-child teen daughter who is accused of murder. The story is told in thirds and the first third is explored through the fathers eyes, and is admittedly slow and certainly doesn't represent the pace of the two remaining thirds. The second part is described through the daughter's perspective, and the character immediately becomes likeable - Stella is sharp, witty and impulsive, and I enjoy every moment of her experiences as she explores young adulthood with her best friend Amina. They encounter a charming young man who triggers a series of strange events, leading to his body being found, with Stella in question of murder.
The truth is not so simple, and the events unravel in a deceptively unique fashion during the last third, told through the mothers lawful eyes. It's almost a story that is told in thematic segments of religion-psychology-law, and how these modes of thinking interact.
The ending feels like a crescendo of discovery and emotion, and I truly enjoyed this book.
"Is there any sort of situation where you can say with certainty that a single person is responsible for what happens? Everything in life is dependent on so many different factors that interact in so many different ways."
Highly recommended read!