Jaffareadstoo is delighted to be taking part in the My Sister's Bones blog tour
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| Published in E-Book 1 November 2016 Published in Hardback by Penguin in February 2017 |
Kate Rafter is a high-flying war reporter. She's the strong one. The one who escaped their father. Her younger sister Sally didn't. Instead, she drinks.
But when their mother dies, Kate is forced to return home. And on her first night she is woken by a terrifying scream.
At first Kate tells herself it's just a nightmare. But then she hears it again. And this time she knows she's not imagining it.
What secret is lurking in the old family home?
And is she strong enough to uncover it...and make it out alive?
My thoughts...
Kate Rafter is a war correspondent
who is well used to coping in some of the world’s most troubled hotspots, and
yet her return, following her mother’s death, to her childhood home in Hearne
Bay, fills her with almost as much terror as a trip to a Syrian war zone. Kate
knows that dealing with her late mother’s affairs is never going to be easy but
she is thankful for her brother in law’s help and Paul is only too willing to
see that Kate’s time in Hearne Bay is largely uneventful. However, Kate’s fragile
mental state means that this visit home is fraught with nothing but
complications and as family secrets start to be revealed, Kate’s relationship with
her younger sister, Sally, is also called into question.
The story evolves over the space
of a week and is cleverly told in alternate chapters in two different time
frames. Both sections are handled extremely sensitively, as is Kate’s downward spiral
into what can only be described as extreme post-traumatic stress. The reason for Kate’s
mental fragility becomes apparent as the story progresses, and as the layers
are stripped away we begin to see just how easily someone can start to disintegrate.
There is much to consider within
the whole context of the story and I would suspect that the deliberate slowness of
the early part of the novel is quite deliberate as this helps to set the mood.
The multi layered themes within the story of domestic abuse; PTSD, alcoholism
and devastating loss are handled sympathetically and are extremely well
written. It must have been quite a challenge to get the balance right between
light and shade and for that I commend the author’s skill with words.
The novel has some really dark
themes which are quite disturbing but, it must be said, sit very comfortably
within the context of the story. Nothing is gratuitous; there is no superfluous
waffle, just really good story telling from beginning to end. The twist when it
comes is completely unexpected and quite refreshing for me as I usually get
the surprise long before it happens but this one made my jaw drop !
Without doubt, this is a commendable debut from an
exciting new talent.
Best Read with... Fish and chips straight out of the wrapper and tangy with sea salt..
Nuala Ellwood is the daughter of an award-winning journalist. She was inspired by his experiences and those of foreign correspondents such as Marie Colvin and Martha Gellhorn to secure Arts Council funding for her research into PTSD for her debut psychological thriller MY SISTER’S BONES
You can find out more about the author on her website by clicking here
Follow on Twitter @NualaWrites
Tour runs between 25th October - 25th November so do visit the the stops on the tour for more exciting content.
Photo Credit: Justin Stoddart
My thanks to the author and also to Annie at Penguin Random House for the invitation to be part of this exciting Blog Tour..
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