A beautiful debut about a difficult and tragic subject. I especially enjoyed the rotating points of view and the unconventional manner in which the plot unfolded. I would not hesitate to read a second novel by Rebecca Rosenblum.

When two people go missing within months of each other, both from a small town in western Canada, countless lives are affected. Both were taken in broad daylight – Donny from outside his high school, and Catherine from the parking lot of the restaurant she serves at – but there are no other obvious connections between the two victims. What they do have in common are the many people, from acquaintances to loved ones, who are affected by their absence, and these are the people that narrate this quiet, compelling novel.

Each chapter is told from a different point of view, including Catherine’s husband, her mother, and even her university professor, with whom she was studying a local poet, Julianna Ohlin. The poet was murdered years before, and her body found in a nearby field – although the crime was never solved conclusively, it was likely done by her abusive boyfriend. Catherine admired Julianna’s poems, which were about the mundane moments of everyday life – those moments that we don’t appreciate until they are gone. There are echoes of images between sections/characters – watching the same movies, visiting the same locations – that show the tenuous connections that link people together.

The various perspectives read like short stories, although they are woven together to describe the lives of Catherine, Donny and Julianna. And through Catherine’s eyes, we witness her dramatic escape after her devastating final days of captivity. She is able to return home physically, but mentally she is unable to cope with her new reality. This is a quiet, thoughtful novel despite the violent and sickening crimes it depicts – it is not really a thriller, but more of an exploration of how absence affects those who have been left behind.

In many ways, this novel defies genre – there are elements of mystery, but it is more like literary true crime, with a feeling of being ripped straight from the headlines. The potential of abduction and the thought that it could happen to any of us ignites fear in the reader. We can relate so easily to Catherine, especially as a woman – as her friend describes it, “he made her see that these things can happen, that nothing keeps a girl walking home alone safe and sound except good luck.” (Loc. 1996) The Canadian small town feel made it even more real for me, and I loved the many references unique to life in western Canada.

The subjective reactions of Catherine’s loved ones also felt very real – the novel showcases the many feelings one would work through in the face of such a loss, including the tedious waiting for something, anything to happen, to bring the victim home. And after that, the waiting for her to heal alongside the inability to help. Catherine is such a clearly fleshed-out character with a unique personality, and her suffering feels genuine, especially as glimmers of hope shine through.

Unlike the many, many missing girl thrillers that have been filling the shelves lately, So Much Love goes deeper. The author doesn’t use extreme violence or unbelievable twists to manipulate the reader’s emotions, which made me appreciate this book so much more. I also liked the discussion of the healing power of literature that runs through the novel – Julianna’s escape through poetry, Catherine’s tenuous connection to the outside world through short stories as she tries to reenter her former life, and of course the many CanLit references that pop up throughout the story. One of the most important aspects of fiction is its ability to teach empathy to readers, and that idea is reinforced throughout this novel. This is much more than a thriller, it is literary fiction that truly makes you think.

I received this book from McClelland & Stewart and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3+ stars. I liked a lot about So Much Love, but I felt bogged down in its execution. So Much Love tells the story of 27 year old Catherine Reindeer who has recently disappeared. Told from many different points of view, we come to learn about how Catherine disappeared, how her disappearance is connected to another recent disappearance, her connection to a poet who died a few years earlier, and the impact all this has on a number of lives. So Much Love is genre defying. It's not a mystery or a thriller, although it has the semblance of a mystery in some respects. But overall it's more like a reflection on what it would really be like for the people involved if someone disappeared -- the sense of loss, fear, tedium, anger, pain and uncertainty. I thought the concept was clever and there were many things I liked -- I especially liked Catherine herself and her relationship with her husband Grey. But I came to feel lost in all of these characters' inner thoughts -- the deep subjectivity of the characters felt like it overtook the sense that I was reading a good story. This is my own experience -- it might reflect a certain restlessness at the time I read this one -- I urge any potential readers to read some of the other enthusiastic reviews. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

Unfortunately, I stopped reading this book when I was halfway through it. I tried really hard to become invested in this novel, especially because it’s from a Canadian author, but I was unable to do so.

So Much Love is a debut novel from Rebecca Rosenblum, and it falls into the pitfalls that a lot of debut novels fall into. There are far too many characters in the book. While I understood that the goal was to show how the disappearance of Catherine Reindeer impacted those who knew her, the end result was disjointed. Every chapter was from the point of view of somebody else, but their names were never explicitly pointed out so it took a while to understand who was speaking. I could have gotten past this, but the main problem was there was no cohesion in the story and because we jumped between the (many!) characters, it was hard to gain an understanding of who they were as people.

Another huge issue I had with this book was that it was so dreadfully slow. I don’t mind it when novels are slow and there’s great character development, but this book didn’t have either for me. I couldn’t connect to the characters or the plot and I just didn’t care how the story was going to turn out.

I’m really disappointed that I couldn’t finish this novel because it sounded very intriguing and it has beautiful, poetic writing. I just found myself really disconnected to it. I’m sure this book has an audience out there and it has great ratings, but it just wasn’t for me.

One thing that makes a great thriller is a story that has so much potentiality for the reader. The possibility that one might be kidnapped is a terrifying thought and the main character in So Much Love by Rebecca Rosenblum is one who has great strength in spite of her fate. This novel is beautifully written and contains so many Canadian references, that will make many Canadian readers envision some of the setting with ease.

Catherine Reindeer is really quite a unique and interesting character. Her quirky personality and determination to obtain her degree at her own pace are admirable and earns her the affection of those in her life. The connections that she makes with a dead local poet’s poems helps her to persevere the darkest moments of being held captive and later help her to heal.

Told in alternating points of view, this novel gives the reader many layers to the mystery of how Catherine disappeared and the mindset of all those affected by her disappearance. Even the POV of her perpetrator is given, which is a little bit creepy, but definitely gives insight into why he commits the crime. Also, So Much Love contains so much symbolism pertaining to colour that makes the novel really interesting and creates a deeper understanding of the characters and setting.

There is something about a familiar setting that grabs a reader’s attention. While reading So Much Love, I felt as though Rosenblum really captured small town Canada with references such as Tim Horton’s and Shopper’s Drug Mart. The picture that she paints of this small town in western Canada are gorgeous and despite the dark nature of the story, these aspects were a lot of fun to read.

So Much Love is a thrilling literary fiction that is captivating and well-written. The strong-willed main character and Canadian setting make this novel intriguing and interesting. The theme is one that is not easy to read, but the wonderful story telling makes this book a must-read.

We learn how this affects not only those closest to her but also acquaintances of Catherine's. We learn how her quiet strength and determination allow her to start to live her life again although it's different from the life she loved and lived before. The first chapter started off great! The book seemed so promising but sadly it kept going downhill after that first chapter and the book isn't something that's going to be memorable for me. Maybe too many points-of-view.