published 4/31/12
386 pages
Synopsis from publisher -
The school is on fire. Her children are inside.
Grace runs toward the burning building, desperate to reach them.
In the aftermath of the devastating fire which tears her family apart, Grace embarks on a mission to find the person responsible and protect her children from further harm. This fire was not an accident, and her daughter Jenny may still be in grave danger. Grace is the only one who can discover the culprit, and she will do whatever it takes to save her family and find out who committed the crime that rocked their lives. While unearthing truths about her life that may help her find answers, Grace learns more about everyone around her — and finds she has courage she never knew she possessed.
My thoughts -
This novel almost became my first DNF of the year. I thought the idea behind the book was quite good, and initially was very intrigued by the mystery. Lupton's use of second person narration was also an interesting choice, and I found it heightened the sense of intimacy I felt with Grace.
Unfortunately, about halfway through the novel I really started to struggle. For me, Lupton was not able to keep the momentum of the novel moving forward - everything just felt like it was stalling out. I started to feel irritated with Grace, with the inept police force, with the inability of every character in the novel to DO anything or FIGURE ANYTHING OUT.
I was, however, invested enough with the characters - mostly Jenny and Adam - that I decided not to quit. And for the most part, I think the ending was satisfying.
So, would I recommend it? That's a tough question. I think I would recommend the author more than the novel - I can see the talent that Lupton brings to the table, and though this novel fell short for me, I would definitely read more of her work.
Finished - 2/11/13
Source - South Side library
MPAA rating - R for violence, adult situations, and language
My rating - 6/10
3 comments:
Ugh, I hate it when books stall in the middle like that.
I have read several reviews of this book, and they have all been tepid. I am not sure this one is for me, because slow writing coupled with characters that are not sharp really bothers me. Thanks for your candor with this one. I think I am going to stay away.
Kathy - me too. It's like the author just didn't QUITE have her idea developed enough.
Zibilee - I picked it up because I saw it on someone's "best of" list - I was definitely expecting more.
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