Member Review
Review by
Adriana G, Reviewer
Four estranged childhood friends return to the sleepy island where they met and spent their teenage summers after the matriarch of their foursome passes away and invites everyone to a 'fun' funeral in the house they all love. Babe was a complicated person, and her decision to abandon the life of a mother and wife to move to a little island left a massive hole in her eldest daughter, Didion. It's shaped her entire life, down to her being estranged from her little sister, best friend, and former soulmate. She's hesitant to return and face all she's worked hard to run away from, but finds that she can't resist the lure of the little house on the beach. Facing everyone is hard enough without them being stuck in a time loop that sees them reliving the same day over and over with no clear idea of how to get out of it.
I appreciate how Harbison uses the time loop as a way to show how grief seems to stop time. You're stuck in a moment you would do anything to escape, but can't find a way to do so.
Didion is not the only one with things to figure out, but she's our main POV and the one whose actions slowly reveal not just her past but the past of those around her in a way that tells you exactly how everyone ended up where they did. She's not necessarily a likeable character, with a deep need to control things and a bad habit of reacting to things by attacking, yet the more time you spend with her, the more you realize she has very good reasons for being the way she is. Everyone has reasons for what they do and a deep-seated fear of communicating them, even when it's to people who know them better than they know themselves, no matter how much time has passed.
It's a very emotional read, focused on grief, but not ruled by it. There were moments when I laughed out loud and moments where I got mad right along with the characters. You're pulled into their story and all the feelings that come with facing your past and the future your present choices might create.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the emotional read!
I appreciate how Harbison uses the time loop as a way to show how grief seems to stop time. You're stuck in a moment you would do anything to escape, but can't find a way to do so.
Didion is not the only one with things to figure out, but she's our main POV and the one whose actions slowly reveal not just her past but the past of those around her in a way that tells you exactly how everyone ended up where they did. She's not necessarily a likeable character, with a deep need to control things and a bad habit of reacting to things by attacking, yet the more time you spend with her, the more you realize she has very good reasons for being the way she is. Everyone has reasons for what they do and a deep-seated fear of communicating them, even when it's to people who know them better than they know themselves, no matter how much time has passed.
It's a very emotional read, focused on grief, but not ruled by it. There were moments when I laughed out loud and moments where I got mad right along with the characters. You're pulled into their story and all the feelings that come with facing your past and the future your present choices might create.
Very happy thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the emotional read!
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