Eventide

by Sarah Goodman

MADNESS, SECRETS, AND LIES

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907

When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas.

In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted, but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold... and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there.

But for Verity, perhaps most unsettling of all is the revelation that her own parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it - secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect....

• ISBN10: 125022473X
• ISBN13: 9781250224736
• Publish Date: 1 November 2020 (first published 6 October 2020)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 29 April 2022
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Eventide in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Sarah Goodman's debut novel is one that has been getting a lot of ink, and with good reason. Eventide is a young adult novel that combines fantasy, thriller, and historical fiction elements all in one.

Verity and her sister, Lilah have always been together. They stood by each other as they lost their mother, and later, as their father descends into madness. But all of that changes, as they are both sent to Arkansas to find a new home.

Unfortunately, that home is not together. Lilah is adopted, while Verity is hired on to work at a farm. It's hard, but good work. Though it is not exhausting enough to distract from the mysterious behavior that seems so prominent in this small town.

“She'd kept it concealed for months. Now it would be hidden forever.”

Eventide is a haunting tale, even from the very first page. There's this constant and lingering sense that something is wrong, and Sarah Goodman makes a point of building up that suspense beautifully.

It was thrilling trying to piece it all together – to try and figure out what was wrong (ideally, before whatever it is comes for Verity and her little sister). It also made for a dark read, though at times it was hard to put my finger on why. More like that lingering sense I already mentioned.

I was impressed with Goodman's writing, the story seems to flow from one page to the next. And even when nothing is actually happening, the words seemed infused with the atmosphere and the anticipation of what was to come.

Speaking of the atmosphere, the setting! It's Arkansas in the early 1900s, with the focus being on a very small town by the name of Wheeler. It feels like any number of mysteries could be hidden in the woods. More than that though, the small town aesthetic and period-appropriate details really do enhance the story.

It this is what Sarah Goodman has to offer on her first attempt, I honestly can't wait to see what she comes up with next. I hope that whatever it is, it will have a similar blend of fantasy and historical fiction.

See more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks