Synopsis:
My name is Ruby. I live with Barbara and Mick.
They're not my real parents, but they tell me what to do, and what to say. I'm
supposed to say that the bruises on my arms and the black eye came from falling
down the stairs.
But there are things I won't say. I won't tell them I'm going to hunt for my real parents. I don't say a word about Shadow, who sits on the stairs, or the Wasp Lady I saw on the way to bed.
I did tell Mick that I saw the woman in the buttercup dress, hanging upside down from her seat belt deep in the forest at the back of our house. I told him I saw death crawl out of her. He said he'd give me a medal for lying.
I wasn't lying. I'm a hunter for lost souls and I'm going to be with my real family. And I'm not going to let Mick stop me.
My
review:
This book is much better than the introduction blurb suggests. Thank goodness I don’t give too much attention to these as it gives an impression of a different book to the one I have read.
Ruby is a messed up girl who is desperate to find her own place in the
world, desperate for her parent’s love that every child deserves. It seemed to
me that the whole village knew how she has been treated by her father and it
made me angry that no one did anything to stop it, but I suppose such were the
days.
Finding out that Mick and Barbara are not her real parents certainly
explained Mick’s awful behaviour towards her. It also sends Ruby on a downwards
spiral whilst trying to find her family, living with the strange people in place
she doesn’t understand.
There are elements of the supernatural throughout the novel as it
changes from Ruby’s story to the voice of Shadow – Ruby’s constant companion –
the only ‘person’ that has been there for her as long as she can remember and
the one that helps her on her way of discovery, pain, friendships and light.
This book is beautifully written. It’s an emotional journey for the
characters as well as the reader. It’s something different and it certainly stands
out among a sea of the ever so popular thrillers and crime novels. It’s one
to read and to remember.
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for access to this book in return for this honest review.
My rating: 5/5
Author’s website: www.katehamer.co.uk
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