Review: A Long Thaw by Katie O’Rourke (Belinda’s review)

A Long Thaw 
written by Katie O’Rourke
published by Canvas, an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd.

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: I had a really hard time getting into this book. At times, I’d find myself enjoying the story only to have it cut off and shifted to a different character’s point of view in a different setting. I found this style of writing frustrating and unsatisfying.

Parts of the story read more like a newspaper article than a fictional story. I didn’t feel like I was in the novel with them. I felt like I was simply reading someone else’s story.

All in all, A Long Thaw was disappointing. The story idea was strong. The characters were likeable. But the abrupt changes in scenery and bland writing style killed it for me.

Would I recommend it: No.

About the book – from Goodreads: Following on from the bestselling ebook MONSOON SEASON comes O’Rourke’s second novel, which explores the power of secrets and the unbreakable bonds of family.

Cousins Abby and Juliet were born into one big, close family. But when Juliet’s parents divorce, it tears the family apart and sends the girls in very different directions.

Juliet grows up too quickly, forced to be responsible for her younger sisters as well as an alcoholic, single mother. Abby grows up a pampered, sheltered only child.

As women, they try to mend the rift and come to terms with the way their shared history connects them, in spite of the years apart.

Told in alternating narrative, A Long Thaw explores how the two women are shaped by the traumas and triumphs of childhood. It’s a story about the power of secrets and the unbreakable bonds of family.