This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Zoe Lea
Katie Greene, a successful business woman, is told one night that not only has her younger sister Mia been found dead, but she has committed suicide. Unable to accept the news, Katie yearns for a way to understand what happened to her sister and if their complex relationship propelled her fate. When she receives Mia’s possessions, she finds her travel journal in her backpack; a diary leading up to the moment she fell from the cliff in Bali that resulted in her untimely death. Convinced that Mia didn’t commit suicide, Katie decides to follow in Mia’s footsteps hoping for answers. Using the journal as her guide, Katie limits herself to only reading relevant entries as she experiences them, always with the question of what happened on that cliff edge when tragedy struck. Did Mia jump, or was she pushed?
The book alternates between Mia’s journey and that of Katie’s. The layers of the narrative are peeled away and as Katie retraces Mia’s steps, she undergoes a profound change. She realises that not everything in her life was as she thought and she begins to understand the value of the relationship she had with Mia, even if it was in turmoil at times.
For me, this book was a complete joy to read. I found the writing engaging and totally all-encompassing from the first page. Lucy Clarke has a way of describing settings and scenery with such vividness that I felt I was there with Katie and Mia, traveling the landscape along with them. The tension between the alternating chapters is brilliantly done; each sister driving the story forward and delivering a new insight to the plot. I looked forward to reading from both characters, discovering how they each perceived certain events and occurrences. There are many twists and turns, the story is multi-layered and had me page turning right to the end – which didn’t disappoint.
The raw emotions and rich discoveries as the characters learn about themselves and each other is fascinating and set against the back drop of wild and exotic travels only goes to add to the addictiveness of this book.
9/10
Lucy Clarke's Website