A Crooked Tree

This might be one of my top favorites regarding coming of age novels. The first two thirds of the book is lamenting prose with a lot of heart break in this family. We get to learn about these siblings and how they talk and move around each other, all tied to some horrific parenting and one sister stuck emotionally in it due to the mother's decision in leaving her stranded alone on the side of the road during a car ride. They're all trying to help her and understand what happened in how their sister got back home that night but the truth isn't very comforting. This moves us into the last part of the novel where we get a sudden change in the plot pace and everything unravels for our siblings. This had a very satisfying conclusion. Loved it to bits.

Mannion's novel is an exploration of family and relationships as much as it is a taut thriller. I was hooked and loved the characters and subplots. It had hints of an Alice Hoffman vibe, with a consistent balance between narrative and character development. The idea of how one small moment and one decision can shape so much of so many futures is a concept that is both fascinating and frightening. And, that cover...