★★★★ // i am no stranger to a Melina Marchetta novel, having read Saving Francesca a few years back. but this one feels a different kind of heavy to a point when things finally fell into place, there’s just this hovering emptiness and hollowness in your chest. it was not an easy read, especially because i found the origin story of the core five slightly tedious and muddled. i couldn’t find the time to deeply care for them as they simply felt like people in the past—even as certain revelations were reached. despite this, i couldn’t help but be drawn to this story. maybe because its themes of overcoming self-loathing is something i can identify with, not to mention its extremely romantic take of Taylor and Griggs’ past and present connection. going back, it provokes a good question of how far we are willing to forgive other people and ourselves. there are things in life that are surely out of our control, but our reaction to it is placed on our hands. after all, we create our own fate.
”But grief makes a monster out of us sometimes, Taylor, and sometimes you say and do things to the people you love that you can’t forgive yourself for.”