Moïra Fowley-Doyle
Genre: Young Adult, Magical Realism, Mystery
Publisher: Kathy Dawson
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
The day after the funeral all our mourning clothes hung out on the line like sleeping bats. 'This will be really embarrassing,' I kept saying to my family, 'when she shows up at the door in a week or two.'REVIEW
When Deena's wild and mysterious sister Mandy disappears - presumed dead - her family are heartbroken. But Mandy has always been troubled. It's just another bad thing to happen to Deena's family. Only Deena refuses to believe it's true.
And then the letters start arriving. Letters from Mandy, claiming that their family's blighted history is not just bad luck or bad decisions - but a curse, handed down through the generations. Mandy has gone in search of the curse's roots, and now Deena must find her. What they find will heal their family's rotten past - or rip it apart forever.
The Rhys women were cursed, and upon their 17th birthday, all the bad apples fell from the family tree.
“You’d know them a mile away. The ones who don’t look like the others, don’t act like the others. The ones who don’t conform, don’t follow the rules . . .The ones who dress differently, love differently, think differently.”However, Mandy was determine to break the curse, and while tracing the family's history, she disappeared. They had a funeral, but Deena didn't believe her sister was dead, and when a letter, written in Mandy's hand arrived, Deena was determined to find her and bring her home.
This book was part mystery, part history, part family drama, and part coming of age. Fowley-Doyle had characters, who were struggling with their identities, while she also explored the dynamics at play in a very complicated family and the many factors that contributed to it. The star of this tale, though, was the Rhys family history, which included some of the most brutal injustices brought against women and children of Ireland.
Through fictional accounts, I learned about the oppression and abuse these women faced. The author approached all topics unflinchingly, from the murder of the lesbian lovers and the imprisonment of young unwed mothers in Magdalene Laundries to the abortion ban, which was only repealed last year. My heart ached for the Rhys women, but all of this was even more powerful and haunting, because I knew it was based on reality.
The delivery of the family history packed an even bigger punch, because Fowley-Doyle created an atmosphere with touches of magic, that just amplified the mood. She also did a great job of keeping me unbalanced, and I surprisingly enjoyed it. It all added to the tension that was building as Deena and her friends raced to "the end of the world" to find Mandy and get to the heart of this mystery.
It was a wild ride, which was horrifying at times, but ultimately gave way to some hope for the future by educating us about the past.
* ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Moïra’s first novel, The Accident Season, was shortlisted for the 2015 Waterstones Children’s Book Prize & the North East Teen Book Awards, nominated for the Carnegie Medal & won the inaugural School Library Association of Ireland Great Reads Award. It received two starred reviews & sold in ten territories. Her second novel, Spellbook of the Lost and Found, was published in summer 2017, received a starred review from School Library Journal and was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards.
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I love the cover for this one! I love when books can be so entertaining and informative at the same time. It sounds like this one packed a punch. Glad you loved it!
ReplyDeleteGenesis @ Whispering Chapters
I think the UK cover is more tied into the story, but both are good. Fowley-Doyle books are never light and fluffy, but this is definitely one of her most hard-hitting books to date.
DeleteI didn't realize the story had all this Irish history in it - it makes me want to read it even more!
ReplyDeleteIt has the uglier sides of Ireland's history. Her author's note really did a great job explaining why this book happened.
DeleteI've got to read this author some of these days. I like that this is partly historical. That makes me want to pick it up.
ReplyDeleteThis book includes a lot of the ugly parts of Ireland's past, but in-between, there is a great story of one young women's search for her identity, and we also know that there has been change, and there is hope for the future.
DeleteWow! This one sounds good. I have to admit I would probably pick it up just for that stunning cover.
ReplyDeleteI have liked all her book covers, and I have also loved all her books.
Deletegreat cover and review.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental
At first, I wasn't sure about the UK cover (the red/pink one), but after read the book, I think it tells me more about the story, than the picture of the girl on the cover, which does a nice job with the mood, but is still a girl on the cover.
DeleteI love stories that delve into family history - and this sounds like a good one!
ReplyDeleteIt's cool, because it goes back 100 years and runs right up to the present.
DeleteWhat a great cover! I really like the sounds of this one and I can see why you enjoyed it so much too.
ReplyDeleteThis is very different from what I normally read, darker, but I am a fan of this author.
DeleteExcellent review Sam! I've been hesitant to request that one but I am glad you loved it!
ReplyDeleteThis is my third Fowley-Doyle book, and the third one that has left me with strong feelings. I will always read her books.
DeleteOooh I wasn't quite sure about this - I was a bit on the fence. However, I'm totally going to be looking for it now, since your review made it sound so intriguing! Great review, Sam! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's dark, but Fowley-Doyle embeds some lighter moments, tender family and friendships bits, and hope at the end.
DeleteI want to read this book so bad, I love the cover!! <3
ReplyDeleteI hope you get a chance to read it.
DeleteI am definitely going to have to read this one. I love magical realism and this one sounds like one I would really like. Glad you enjoyed it, Sam!
ReplyDeleteAll her books have a bit of magic, and in this one, it's hard to tell what's real and what isn't
DeleteAh I loved the author's other books, I can't wait to read this one. I adore how the author incorporates magical realism in her stories and her writing is beautiful. Can't wait to discover that one :)
ReplyDeleteThere is a magical element, which really suited the story, but it was pretty hard hitting tale.
DeleteThis sounds like a pretty powerful read. It was one I was already interested in but now you have me really wanting to nab a copy as soon as possible. Great review!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely doesn't shy away from the ugly things in the past, but also ends on a hopeful note.
DeleteI've seen books from this author about before and I honestly am always intrigued by each of her books. This one sounds really good and I want to get my hands on it just to find out what happens with the mix of mystery/history/family drama/etc.
ReplyDeleteOddly enough, I love her books. All three were hits for me. This is, by far, the darkest, but look, she had something to say. It's a combination of her writing and the stories she tells, that keeps me coming back, and though they can be dark at times, she always puts enough hope in for me.
DeleteAhh this is one high on my wishlist! I love the combination of all the things that it is. I am so glad that the representation of women is done so well, and you can feel for how they suffered. I am so here for the family saga side of things as well. Oh, this review just made me even more hyped!!
ReplyDeleteFowley-Doyle always tells a fantastic story and she does so beautifully. You could tell how passionate she is about these issues, and I really enjoyed it.
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