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A review by bibliotreasures
The Thorn Girl by Laura Elliot
This was a compelling, intriguing, moving, exhilarating, surprising and unputdownable read that I devoured in one sitting, staying awake until the early hours. I had too many questions that needed answers to put it down. This book held me hostage until the last page and it was worth every extra cup of coffee I needed the following day to get them.
When I started this book I wasn’t expecting so many different layers to the story. It was these layers that made it so addictive as this diary, loaded as it is with such heinous accusations, turns out to be just the beginning of a hotbed of decades of lies, corruption and conspiracies in Reedstown. As the layers unravelled truths are revealed and we visit some of the darkest corners of human depravity, but also witness acts of kindness, and the goodness in humanity.
Though the story is told from multiple points of view, our main focus is on Adele Foyle and her late mother Marianne, who died giving birth to her. Adele was raised by her grandmother and it is only after her death that she finds her mother’s diary. She knows that inside could be the answers to the questions her grandmother refused to give her, but is also worried that she might be better off not knowing. Ultimately, she needs to know and learns the awful truth of her birth and all that her mother suffered. Her anger and need for justice takes over her life, leading her back to Reedstown instead of following her fiance to start their new life in Colorado. She knows she has an uphill battle ahead, but is unprepared for the ferocity of the opposition she faces and the lengths some will go to to silence her and keep the secrets of the past buried. Adele was a well-written character. She is resolute, strong, and steadfast, her rage assailing her. But she is also broken, scared and lost, a young woman grieving the mother that was taken from her and everything she believed to be true that has been shattered. I was rooting for her every step of the way and it was this connection and need to see her get to the truth that kept me turning the pages well into the night.
Entries from the diary give a voice to Marianne and enable her to be an integral character in the story. We see who she was and learn her innermost thoughts at the most difficult time in her young life. Just fifteen years old, pregnant after rape, torn away from her home and put in the Atonement Home that she calls a prison. Each entry is both heartbreaking and infuriating as she is repeatedly failed by those around her. The decision to make Marianne real through these entries, rather than just a shadow of the past, helped me connect to both her and Adele in her quest for justice. The author wrote characters who got under my skin and I too wanted justice for Marianne and the truth for Adele.
In My Mother’s Name is an addictive and emotionally charged thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This was my first read by this author but it won’t be my last. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading mystery and thrillers.
Thank you to Bookoture and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this novel.
When I started this book I wasn’t expecting so many different layers to the story. It was these layers that made it so addictive as this diary, loaded as it is with such heinous accusations, turns out to be just the beginning of a hotbed of decades of lies, corruption and conspiracies in Reedstown. As the layers unravelled truths are revealed and we visit some of the darkest corners of human depravity, but also witness acts of kindness, and the goodness in humanity.
Though the story is told from multiple points of view, our main focus is on Adele Foyle and her late mother Marianne, who died giving birth to her. Adele was raised by her grandmother and it is only after her death that she finds her mother’s diary. She knows that inside could be the answers to the questions her grandmother refused to give her, but is also worried that she might be better off not knowing. Ultimately, she needs to know and learns the awful truth of her birth and all that her mother suffered. Her anger and need for justice takes over her life, leading her back to Reedstown instead of following her fiance to start their new life in Colorado. She knows she has an uphill battle ahead, but is unprepared for the ferocity of the opposition she faces and the lengths some will go to to silence her and keep the secrets of the past buried. Adele was a well-written character. She is resolute, strong, and steadfast, her rage assailing her. But she is also broken, scared and lost, a young woman grieving the mother that was taken from her and everything she believed to be true that has been shattered. I was rooting for her every step of the way and it was this connection and need to see her get to the truth that kept me turning the pages well into the night.
Entries from the diary give a voice to Marianne and enable her to be an integral character in the story. We see who she was and learn her innermost thoughts at the most difficult time in her young life. Just fifteen years old, pregnant after rape, torn away from her home and put in the Atonement Home that she calls a prison. Each entry is both heartbreaking and infuriating as she is repeatedly failed by those around her. The decision to make Marianne real through these entries, rather than just a shadow of the past, helped me connect to both her and Adele in her quest for justice. The author wrote characters who got under my skin and I too wanted justice for Marianne and the truth for Adele.
In My Mother’s Name is an addictive and emotionally charged thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This was my first read by this author but it won’t be my last. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading mystery and thrillers.
Thank you to Bookoture and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this novel.