This was a marvelous tale, dark and twisty and brutally honest in its exploration of the pain of self-exploration and self-hatred…
Ashley-Smith has a brilliant lyrical writing style; every word feels carefully and sparingly selected to maximum effect, and believe me – the promise of that effect is delivered in spades. This is a deceptively small book that contains multitudes. (Likewise, my review – it’s tough to say too much without running the risk of affecting the reading experience of others and I wouldn’t do that for the world, the book is too enjoyable for that.) The emotion pours off of each page and each character interaction. The depth of feeling generated by these characters, particularly George, is phenomenal; the characters leap off the page and into your brain, squirreling themselves away only to reappear, like Sylvie’s “ghosts”, at unsuspecting times and to unsuspecting results.
I found myself thinking about this one long after I finished reading it, and the thinking only made the whole experience better. J. Ashley-Smith is DEFINITELY on my “to watch” list going forward!
Thanks to NetGalley and Meerkat Press for my obligation-free review copy.
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