Where do I begin? Wealthy Chelsea family end up living within a commune in their own home and eventually find themselves surrendering their powers as the matriarch and patriarch of the family as well as their personal and household items of value. They live a “simpler” life under the guidance of David, only life isn’t so simple and his guidance is actually frighteningly controlling and violent when things aren’t going according to his will. Miracle births and tragic deaths among karma unfold through the trips back time as one of this missing children, now and adult in the present day, lead us through their sorry life and sad tale.
I’d love to say there was a hoot ending, but I’m not completely sure it’s meant to leave us feeling comfortable or as if this is the quote before the storm really hits! If this were adapted to television as a series, there would most definitely be a follow up series! So I do anticipate that this will be the case in the future, and very much look forward to it!
This is the second of Jewell’s titles I have read (the previous being The House We Grew Up In) and I’m seeing a pattern in writing style; starts off slow but progresses quickly enough to reel you in but not so quick as to leave you bored and guessing the next moves of the characters. The chapter styles are the same with chapters from the past tense but mostly written in the present, with the two timelines coinciding perfectly as the end of the book draws near.
There were parts of this book that left me shocked and some that left me nearly in tears, but it never left me bored. I will most definitely be adding more of Jewl’s titles to my ever expanding TBR list!
Morelli’s Reads 