Book review: The Hope Fault + competition

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By Tracy Farr
Published by Aardvark Bureau

 Synopsis: In Cassetown, Geologue Bay, Iris and her extended family ― her ex-husband and his wife and their new baby; her son and her best friend’s daughter ― gather on a midwinter long weekend, to pack up the family holiday house now that it has been sold. They are together for one last time, one last weekend, one last party. As the house is stripped bare, their secrets ― and the complex, messy nature of family relationships ― will be revealed.

 How did this book end up in my hands? I received an advance review copy by the publisher in exchange of my honest opinion.

 Was it a page-turner? Even though I wanted to know what would happen during the weekend in Cassetown, I took my time to savour this book. The language is very poetic and the author uses different narrative strategies that made me want to pause to take it all in.  

 Having read the synopsis, did the book meet my expectations? When it comes to the synopsis, yes, it is a fair representation of what the book is about. Nothing, however, could have prepared me for the beauty of it… unless the synopsis had been written in verse perhaps, like a poem by the fictional Zigi.

 Did I like the ending? [no spoilers] Beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. It left me with a feeling of openness and closure at the same time. Very satisfying.

 Three words to describe it. Lyrical. Dreamy. Versatile.

 Do I like the cover? I love the picture on the cover. It suits the book well – simultaneously crisp and nostalgic. The colours, the font, the layout… all the elements of the cover help create an harmonious end product.

 Have I read any other books by the same author? No, but her first novel – The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt – is already on my TBR.

 Will I be recommending this book? Yes. If you are in no rush to get to the end and enjoy savouring the journey, this novel is for you. Mind you, rushing to the end is possible… but you won’t enjoy the smell of the rain and the warmth of a freshly-brewed cup of tea!

 Anything else? Yes! You can win a copy of this book and find out for yourself how beautiful it is! All you need to do is follow me on Twitter and retweet the competition post by 16/09. UK only. Every comment left below will count as an extra entry (one per person). Best of luck!

Comments

  1. Unknown10 August 2018 at 13:48

    Thank you for the competition, your review was so good to read, feels like a ‘feel good book’ I enjoy nookscthat are described as ‘beautiful’ :).

    ReplyDelete

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