Thank you very much to NetGalley and the author for granting me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review (or rating).

This book was not good - I stopped listening at a quarter-way through because of howbad it was. Terrible writing.

Brenda Vicars tells a story meant to illustrate how trauma carries forward - unresolved - continuing a pattern of harm and trauma from old to new generations (transgenerational trauma). Overall in a fairly entertaining story, she succeeds but I found this a really mixed bag of a book because it was so obvious throughout that we were being "taught" something and the characters became caricatures at times because of it. And it can be hard to believe some of the things that happen. One historical fiction part of the novel was actually offensive in terms of a relationship between a man and a woman of very unequal status. It glorified a particular relationship while recognizing that in other settings such a relationship would be abusive. I kept thinking Vicars would clarify this because so much of what her characters do and say is meaningful and leads to appropriate and interesting results. But no. It just hung out there as a love story that by it's very nature was not okay or realistic.

Phillip Richards left home at 15 because his grandfather assaulted his 12 year old sister and the family did not protect her. He's all grown up and a super-capable employee of a guy who builds plants. He travels and seems to be an electrical engineer. He finds from his younger sister, the one that was four years old when he left, that his father is dying. It's been twenty years since he saw him and she convinces him to go home. There, he finds both sisters at the hospital, friction arises between Philip and the victim sister, he is convinced to go get his father's will and in the trunk where it was hidden, he finds a manuscript that lays bare a family story that is both fascinating and troubling. The novel focuses on a variety of things. In Philips case, he can be a black out drunk. He has been a wanderer. He lost the first "girl/woman" he ever loved and searched for her for years before moving on. He has unresolved shame over not protecting his younger sister and he hates his father. His mother already died when his father is dying. He incurs the wrath of a woman at a local bar. He meets another woman he feels a genuine connection to, but it is really contrived and seems to be so she can open his eyes to the manuscript he found and think deep thoughts. Shit happens. He gets in serious trouble. He finds people who care. He begins to work on himself in a new way. Etc. etc.

This is NOT to say I didn't find this book entertaining, which is why it has such high ratings. For some reason, I was hooked on a lot of Phllip's back story, I was hooked on the story in the manuscript with the asterisk about the inappropriate relationship and I was into the community he was working in and the bar crowd. I did not find interesting or very believable the woman whose wrath he incurred or the trouble he gets into and I found a lot of his interactions with the new woman totally unrealistic and badly written. Also, in this case, I did not like the narrator who chose a kind of whiny smarmy tone for the book. Not the worst I've ever heard at all but I think he made some bad choices on the voices he used and it got on my nerves. Like most narrators I'd range from A - to A+ and this person was a B. So not a deal breaker. All in all, there were moments this book was absolutely a five star book and it was well written and engrossing and then it wasn't. And I cannot bring myself to say the whole package wound up four stars for me. So it's a 3.5 rounded down.

Echoes of Our Ancestor AUDIO by Brenda Vicars is a complex and engaging story of a man who is riddled with guilt over the fact his sister was molested by his grandfather when she was twelve and he fifteen, and, in his eyes, he failed to respond. He ran away from home, managed to get himself a decent education as well as skills, and became a part of a migrant community near the border. When he was in college, he proposed to Rose, the sister of his friend but she and her parents disappeared. He spent years looking for her in Mexico until he finally heard she had married. He floated from construction job to construction job, always a valued employee, and he drank at night. Sometimes he had blackouts. He got called home because his father died and in the process of finding the will, he found writings of a great-uncle, that soured his world even more. He had secured the love of a good woman, Edith, but he never could get a grip on his life as he was swept up into an even bigger mess.

This was a long and complex story. It’s theme was inherited trauma, which I am not sure I completely buy. I do believe that nurture has a lot to do with it and if a traumatized person is “nurturing” a child, the child will be affected by the trauma. This is a story told in two timelines, one in the form of a lost manuscript. It is also the story of family., friendship, and love. I thoroughly enjoyed the listen, although I thought the ending was a little “woke” and a bit of a cop-out. It was compelling, full of family problems, and deaths. The story unfolded well and gently invited the listener to keep going. Thanks Brenda Vicars for a good read (listen)!

Curtis Michael Holland was the reader and he could have been better, although he did seem to relax as he got into the book. He hesitated, almost as if he was having difficulty knowing how to read. His voice was good and he fit Philip’s persona well. It was an enjoyable listen, overall.

I was invited to listen to Echoes of Our Ancestors by Dreamscape Media. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #DreamscapeMedia #BrendaVicars #CurtisMichaelHolland #EchoesOfOurAncestors

This is a book that addresses many complex themes and it takes a while to get to the core of the story. It may require some patience to soldier through the first part, but it is well worth it by the end.

As a teenager, Philip runs away from home and the legacy of abuse that has permeated his family, including his grandfather and father. Unsurprisingly, this means that he grows up to be an emotionally damaged, alcoholic adult.

It is after his father's death, when he returns home, that the real point of this story begins to emerge. Encountering the free spirit Edith, and finding out more about his family history and the secrets that lie hidden within, are among the events that set Philip on a very different path.

This story deals with racism and redemption, generational trauma and the after effects of abuse, and so many other interesting subjects. It is heavy at times but rewarding. It gets 3.5 stars.

How does the connections with our ancestors and the past influence the events in our future? Phillip blames himself for the anuse his grandfather and most men in his family perpetrated against women. This comes to a head when Phillip himself is accused of assault.

If you like dual timelines, redemption for past wrongs, and Kristin Hannah, you will love this one. I thoroughly enjoyed this. In the beginning the flash backs that occurred through reading a found manuscript were a little confusing, but as the story progresses it ties in nicely and provides insight to current events. This was a 4/5 star read and I definitely recommend!

I am DNFing this one at 22%. I tried. I really did. It is nothing like what I thought after reading the synopsis. It just didn't hold my interest.
I am not posting a public review as I did not read enough of the book to do so.
Thank you for the opportunity, but this one just wasn't for me.

This one was unfortunately a DNF for me. I got about 20% of the way through it and had to stop because it felt like the story was still going no where.

Wow wow wow!! This book is so good! Ok so Phillip runs away from home around 15 (he phones mom regularly), goes South(TX), ends up pretending to be an illegal Mexican (bizarre I know!), makes amazing friends, experiences love, loss etc. He grows up to be an alcoholic, emotionally stunted dude. His father was abusive, his grandfather was abusive. His father dies so he goes back home, he has two sisters. This is around the time 💩 starts hitting the fan in the timeline. I’m trying not to give too much away 🤪 Theeen there is a story within the story. I don’t know which one I was more invested in! There is rape, there is slavery, there is alcoholism, blackouts, then love, Mexican culture, paybacks, deep deep stuff. It’s an amazing book that will make you think. A huge thank you to @dreamscape_media for my advanced copy for the audiobook. The narration was fantastic!

Although he was only young at the time, Phillip blames himself for the abuse his sister suffered at the hands of his grandfather and has been reclusive ever since. He also drinks more than necessary and can have blackouts where he cannot remember anything that happened, even though he may appear lucid to others. Phillip finds some papers written during the American Civil War and meets a girl during one of his blackouts - two events that slowly change the course of his life. Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC/audiobook.