Cover Image: In the Blink of an Eye

In the Blink of an Eye

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Member Reviews

In the Blink of an eye was a very good read. It grabbed my attention from the beginning and made me want to keep reading till the end .i would read this author again

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This is the story of parents Bridget and Finn and their son Jarrah, after a family tragedy. For personal reasons, I had a difficult time getting started on the book because of the nature of the tragedy, but once I did, I was drawn into their world.

Blackadder made an interesting writing choice, giving us the story of Finn in the third person, the story of Bridget in the second person, and the story of Jarrah in the first person. It made knowing whose chapter you were in quite easy to follow. But it also was a way to really draw us into the story, as an observer, a participant, and even as an accuser of sorts.

Each character reacts to the tragedy in different ways, and I was drawn to each of them. There are some twists, some legal issues, and a lot of each coping in his or her own way. The story takes place in Australia, so as an American, I was fascinated by the locale, which is described and discussed at length as aspects are relevant to the plot (Bridget is working on saving koalas).

The ending of this book was just right and I'm ultimately glad I got over my initial hesitation and read it.

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The story draws you in right from the start. The events tug at your heart, especially the kid Toby and his character. I tried not to hate Bridget, the mother, reserving my judge me till the ending.This is where I was expecting more,a very dramatic twist or change of heart. The plot could have meandered to many different plausible endings but in a way this was unique too. An unforgettable and promising book!
But I did have issues with some typos and some sentences appeared oddly mismatched .The POV of Bridget was a bit difficult to follow...Highly recommend this book for a very satisfying read.

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Tl;dr: An emotionally raw, wrenching, and compelling read.

In the Blink of an Eye is like reading scorched earth--it's one of the most honest books about how grief effects people in different ways.

Some like Finn, the main adult male character, react by instinct, grief driving them to protect even as it only serves to isolate him from what's left of his family, especially...

Bridget, his wife, and the main female character, who reacts to the family's loss with rage so deep it threatens to destroy her, even as she's sure everything she's doing is justified, never mind the cost to...

Jarrah, Finn and Bridget's teenage son, who finds himself thrust into adult responsibilities all while trying to deal with his own grippling grief, school and all the changes that happen because of his family's loss, and himself.

Jarrah was, hands down, my favorite. Ms. Blackadder paints a visceral portrait of a teenage boy, awash with grief, grappling with his anger and sorrow all while trying to navigate the slippery slope that is adolescence. I loved every single section devoted to him, and found myself wanting to know what was next for him after the ending--and if that's not a sure sign of a character done right, I don't know what is.

Finn wasn't as interesting to me, but the exploration of his grief and how it drove him to make life altering decisions for both himself and his family while not thinking clearly (but thinking he was) is well done as well.

Bridget's sections of In the Blink of an Eye weren't quite as successful for mr, largely because many of them were written in the second person, a pov that's hard to pull off, imo. I wish Ms. Blackadder had written all of Bridget's section in first person, or kept them all in third.

The choice of the "you" voice is done, I think, because Bridget will be a hard character for some readers to like. She's driven, even before tragedy strikes, largely by anger. She's angry at Finn for reasons I won't name because of spoilers and then afterwards, she is anger personified.

I actually liked that-- we so often think that grief manifests itself through sorrow, but that's just one part of it. Anger is another and Ms. Blackadder has Bridget's anger turn her brittle, cold, and even cruel. She's so lost to her grief that anger is all she has to fuel herself-- and it comes so close to destroying her. I think the second person sections are supposed to help the reader (hey you!) more easily identify with her, but they never quite gelled for me. Maybe I just identify more easily with angry characters??

Aside from the ending, which was so quickly resolved and festooned with a bow, ribbons, and a bell that it went way beyond neat into saccharine for me, this is a fascinating and compelling read. And Jarrah! I just adored him. Also, you know how so many novels open with a deep quote from someone famous? In the Blink of an Eye opens with a quote from a swimming pool guide-- and it totally and completely works *and* is that much more genuine for it.

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This was a beautifully written book and I'm so pleased that the download problems were sorted out. The author got into the skin of all of the main characters and they were depicted realistically and believably. The Australian atmosphere was also captured well and I could feel the heaviness of the air in Murwillumbah which echoed the feelings of the characters. Although the book is a work of fiction, I felt so much for the author as she had been through a similar family tragedy and can imagine the impact it would have had for her and for each member of her family throughout their lives.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and I will look out for more works by Jesse Blackadder.

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I was unable to read this book as so much of it was missing. It is a shame as it sounded like a good story

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I enjoyed this book very much! It's an easy fast paced book!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thank you netgally for giving me this title in exchange for my honest review

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Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this book to fans of adult fiction. It was well-written, dealt with family issues and also had a intriguing mystery element that made me pick it up.

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In The Blink Of An Eye by author Jesse Blackadder is a beautiful, emotional story of family and redemption. The characters are great and the plot is thick. An emotional read for sure!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of In the blink of an eye in exchange for an honest review.

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Cannot read this book goes from 5% to 37% than to 67. Cannot rate a book that you cannot read. Tried it twice same thing happened.

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