This was the book selection for our book club this month and I enjoyed it, although I wish that I had read it not back to back with Cursed Daughters because there was some overlap in themes and tropes. Beth and Frank are living what to, many people, appear to be a fulfilling life. They love each other and work together on the farm that they own, very closely. They seem to share everything and lead a life that many would envy. However, two years previously, their son Bobby died on the farm and Beth blames Frank for that tragedy as Frank was supposed to be watching out for their son. One day, a man and his son come to the farm after their dog escapes, gets onto Beth's farm and is shot. The man is Gabriel Wolfe, Beth's first love. And so begins a love triangle that literally changes lives.
I definitely enjoyed this novel, but I think that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it at a different time then directly following Cursed Daughters. Hall uses dual timeline narrative, which I always adore because it is a very effective way to keep me, the reader, hooked into things and wanting to know more about how we got to where we got. I found it very easy to empathize with the characters, the decisions that they were making and the justifications that they had for their actions. At the heart of this novel are themes of love and loyalty: to family, to partners and children, to values.
There were also elements of a thriller that made this novel very enjoyable to me. The plot had twists and turns that I didn't always figure out. I definitely also felt that I was immersed in the lives of the characters: it was easy to picture myself at the farm or in the pub with the characters, hearing, seeing and smelling what they were. Definitely one to read.
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