Hello. Hope you are all keeping well. Self-isolating here in the UK and getting through my tbr pile. Isolation isn’t far from the norm for me anyway. We have to just stay safe, healthy and look out for each other.
After her mother’s death &a suicide attempt directionless Breeda decides to finally clear out her mum’s house. From there Breeda finds a thread which unravels her entire family. I felt for Breeda. I could all too well identify with her. I was sensitive to her plight. For a debut novel this was an excellent read and had me hooked throughout. I liked the twists and turns, the characters. I switched off completely and got into this book and the ending was satisfactory.
My one issue was Breeda’s surname Looney. I don’t like the word looney, I think it’s a cruel word and what with some of the topics in the book – felt tactless but I understand the word has other origins and this book is based in Ireland, with Irish characters.
I would recommend this book and I will definitely be reading it again.
Breeda Looney tells herself she’s happy with her life in a small Irish fishing village. Sure, there are days she talks to no one but the cat, her Aunt Nora considers her a waste of skin, and her panic attacks have become public spectacles. Still, what’s the use in complaining?
Then Breeda makes a shocking discovery that flips her world upside down. Her father, said to have died when Breeda was a child, might actually still be alive.
Breeda’s search for her father will strain her sanity to its limits, pitting her against her formidable Aunt Nora and forcing her to revisit a dark place she thought she’d buried forever.
And as she digs up the family dirt to find him, Breeda will begin to wonder… has she taken a step too far?
Poetic Insights 