You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by bethreadsandnaps
The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah
3.25
3.25 stars
Ellis has a poor upbringing with an alcoholic mom, and her one tie during her childhood is to one of her mom's boyfriends Zane. She has three kids, one of which is a newborn, with Jonah. Ellis accidentally leaves her baby Viola at the park while dealing with her two older boys, and a few minutes later Ellis realizes her mistakes, goes back to the park, and Viola is gone.
At this point Ellis makes an interesting decision; she leaves her family, including her two boys, and retreats into the woods with her new best friend alcohol.
In the other strand through the story, Raven is being raised by a paranoid and reclusive mother. When she meets some boys nearby, her life changes in profound ways.
There's a lot of trauma throughout this narrative, and I thought Ellis and Audrey seemed rather similar. Toward the end it gets really sappy. I expected more magical realism in this novel and was surprised there seemed like very little.
The sense of place wasn't there. This novel takes place all across the country, and I couldn't discern one location from another. I expected stronger nature writing than there was, but plenty of scenes do take place outside.
Despite Ellis making decisions that the reader will likely not agree with, I did still root for her throughout the novel.
Ellis has a poor upbringing with an alcoholic mom, and her one tie during her childhood is to one of her mom's boyfriends Zane. She has three kids, one of which is a newborn, with Jonah. Ellis accidentally leaves her baby Viola at the park while dealing with her two older boys, and a few minutes later Ellis realizes her mistakes, goes back to the park, and Viola is gone.
At this point Ellis makes an interesting decision; she leaves her family, including her two boys, and retreats into the woods with her new best friend alcohol.
In the other strand through the story, Raven is being raised by a paranoid and reclusive mother. When she meets some boys nearby, her life changes in profound ways.
There's a lot of trauma throughout this narrative, and I thought Ellis and Audrey seemed rather similar. Toward the end it gets really sappy. I expected more magical realism in this novel and was surprised there seemed like very little.
The sense of place wasn't there. This novel takes place all across the country, and I couldn't discern one location from another. I expected stronger nature writing than there was, but plenty of scenes do take place outside.
Despite Ellis making decisions that the reader will likely not agree with, I did still root for her throughout the novel.