(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Ruby Cardel has the semblance of a normal life – a loving boyfriend, a fulfilling career – but in one terrible moment, her life unravels. The discovery that the death of her sister, Jamie, was not an accident makes her question all she’s known about herself and her past.
Travelling back home to Lyrebird Hill, Ruby begins to remember the year that has been forever blocked in her memory . . . Snatches of her childhood with beautiful Jamie, and Ruby’s only friendship with the boy from the next property, a troubled foster kid.
Then Ruby uncovers a cache of ancient letters from a long-lost relative, Brenna Magavin, written from her cell in a Tasmanian gaol where she is imprisoned for murder. As she reads, Ruby discovers that her family line is littered with tragedy and violence.
Slowly, the gaps in Ruby’s memory come to her. And as she pieces together the shards of truth, what she finally discovers will shock her to the core – about what happened to Jamie that fateful day, and how she died.

*4.5 stars*

I am not going to talk about the dual narratives (cos I have been reading a lot of them lately) but, instead, I want to talk about two things: the protagonists and the writing style.

In Ruby and Breanna, Anna Romer has created two sensational characters. Ruby's story (and her memory of her childhood) - from her sister Jamie's death, to the friendship she had with the foster kid next door - had just about everything. Heartbreak, love, friendship, family...and through everything, Ruby stands strong. Sure, there are times when she doesn't but she survived it all and became this amazing person. The revelations at the end of her story are stunning - very well handled by the author and I love the way she approached the telling of that part of the story.
In Breanna, we have a far different tale but one that is just as mesmerising - through a series of long-lost letters, Ruby learns about her distant relative's life and the history her family has with betrayal, murder and other tragedies.

Secondly, the writing in this book is just beautiful. Lyrical prose (which is just perfect) brings to life the region in which the book is set - flora and fauna feel like they are just "there", that you could reach out and touch them; the smells of rural Australia come through in every page; and the sense of something being just around the corner is breathtaking. It is brooding, Gothic in nature, and fills the reader with a sense of foreboding that keeps the pages turning. All of that together is a blessing and a talent - and Anna Romer has these things in spades.

This is a definite must-read. You can thank me later!


Paul
ARH