Darkness and Grace

I was initially intrigued by the title and summary of this book. I'd imagined it would be something of a fast-paced thriller. However, it was not. Told in first person, this story recounts the main character's sister-in-law from hell and how she antagonizes everyone's lives. I could feel the helplessness each character was feeling, and overall, the emotions were well portrayed. However, the writing used a passive voice and sounded much like someone recounting a story they've told before (and since this is based on a true story, that narrative voice makes sense). The passive voice made everything that could've been surprising less so. There were also some details added in to give a sense of time, but they felt unnecessary (like all the mentions of voting). For the most part, I was engaged and wanted to know what happened next. And the ending - it was a twist!

𝑵𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒈𝒐𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈
𝐸𝑁/𝐹𝑅
𝟑.𝟓/𝟓
| WARNING: This digital A.R.C was kindly sent to me via NetGalley after I requested it in exchange of an honest review. All opinions are my own |
In this american thriller, inspired by a true story, reminiscent of Desperate Housewives, and It’s a compliment, we meet the Pierson family and more specifically Kay Pierson-Scott, the oldest sister and narrator of this story.
A typical family in the United States, whose parents have managed to get rich thanks to the real estate market, it will end up on the edge of the fracture after the entry into the scene of Pamela, the new wife of the younger brother, Paul.
But let’s start from the beginning shall we.
Far from the family atmosphere of the book, It’s on the discovery of a human leg that this story begins, before changing our point of view and transporting us into Kay’s thoughts.
Gradually helping Paul getting out of his descent into hell after the death of his first wife, the whole family goes out of their way to give him back a taste for life and to put his boat afloat, their mission seems fulfilled when Paul announces his marriage to Pamela Schaeffer.
The ceremony is grandiose, happiness is palpable. Except that the weeks to come will reveal a very ugly truth, of a woman who has only one goal in mind.
And this time, blood ties may not be enough.
I personally enjoyed my reading, which I didn’t expect it at all.
It was very addictive, very rhythmic, even if I deplore a slight repetition of sentence formulations and a length between the main story and the epilogue whose link only appears towards the end. The improbability of certain legal situations has also bothered me, but It’s a pure jurist point of view.
The themes also addressed, such as alcoholism, addiction and the notion of good and evil were interesting, I just wonder about the need to mention the political opinions of the characters at certain times, because It didn’t have anything to do with history.
Surprisingly enough, I had guessed the end but not at all who would be the actors! Which is a good point.
In summary I recommend this reading if you want a good domestic thriller in an American family setting, whose hands are not that clean.






| WARNING : Cet A.R.C digital m’a été envoyé via NetGalley suite à ma demande sur le site en échange d’une honnête revue. Toutes les opinions exprimées sont miennes. |
Dans ce thriller américain, inspiré de faits réels, aux allures de Desperate Housewives, ce qui est bel et bien un compliment de ma part, nous faisons connaissance avec la famille Pierson et plus précisément avec Kay Pierson-Scott, la sœur aînée et narratrice de cette histoire.
Famille typique des Etats-Unis, dont les parents ont réussi à s’enrichir grâce au marché de l’immobilier, celle-ci va se retrouver au bord de la fracture après l’entrée en scène de Pamela, la nouvelle femme du frère cadet, Paul.
Mais reprenons du début voulez-vous.
Bien éloigné de l’ambiance familiale du livre, c’est sur la découverte d’une jambe humaine que commence ce récit, avant de changer de point de vue et de nous transporter dans les pensées de Kay.
Assistant petit à petit à la descente en enfers de Paul après le décès de sa première femme, toute la famille fait des pieds et des mains pour lui redonner goût à la vie et remettre son bateau à flots, mission qui leur semble accomplie lorsque Paul annonce son mariage avec Pamela Schaeffer. La cérémonie est grandiose, le bonheur est palpable. Sauf que les semaines à suivre vont dévoiler une bien laide vérité, celle d’une femme qui a un seul objectif en tête.
Et cette fois-ci, les liens du sang ne suffiront peut-être pas.
J’ai personnellement apprécié ma lecture, ce à quoi je ne m’attendais pas du tout.
C’était très addictif, très rythmé, même si je déplore une légère répétition des formulations de phrase et une longueur entre l’histoire principale et l’épilogue dont le lien n’apparait que vers la fin. L’improbabilité de certaines situations, juridiques, m’a également dérangée mais c’est un pur point de vue juriste.
Les thèmes abordés aussi, comme l’alcoolisme, la dépendance et la notion de bien et de mal étaient intéressants et juste, je me questionne juste sur la nécessité de mentionner les opinions politiques des personnages à certains moments, car cela n’avait pas grand-chose à voir avec l’histoire.
Chose assez étonnante, j’avais deviné la fin mais pas du tout qui en seraient les acteurs ! Ce qui est un bon point.
En résumé je vous recommande cette lecture si vous avez envie d’un bon thriller domestique dans un cadre d’aisance américaine, dont les mains ne sont pas si propres que ça.

An interesting exploration of relationships and the impact which one person can have on a family. Some fascinating and terrible actors in the story which is, alarmingly, based in truth. I found the pace a bit uneven and this was a bit distracting at times but generally a very interesting book.