Everything We Lost
by Valerie Geary
Published August 22nd, 2017 by William Morrow Paperbacks
Paperback, 480 pages
Lucy Durant was only fourteen-years-old when she lost her older brother. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, when he walked into the desert outside Bishop, California, and never returned.
Now on the tenth anniversary of Nolan's mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion--her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. Now an adult, she's stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father's house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.
Told in Lucy and Nolan's alternating voices, Everything We Lost is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown--a haunting, compelling story that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned.
It has been since the 1980’s when Whitley Strieber’s book Communion scarred me to the point of sleeping with the lights on that I read a book with a plot that in any way pertained to UFO’s. Therefore, when I had the opportunity to review EVERYTHING WE LOST I jumped at the chance because it had been too many decades of avoiding UFO books plus it also sounded like a good mystery. Unquestionably, I conquered any fear that had still been lurking in my brain regarding UFOs. Whereas, other matters can be misleading.
One strange event is an anomaly, two is a fluke, three is a pattern and we should probably start paying attention
If you are a fan of UFO books this could be a book for you. If you are a fan of books that are cryptic with no closure at any point this book could be for you. However, this was not a book for me and I shall explain why. Throughout the first half the plot was engaging holding my attention after that it begun to feel repetitive in the peculiar way the story was advancing. For instance, the main parts of the story were told by Lucy in the present and Nolan from ten years in the past, yet predicaments or pertinent facts repeated time and again causing redundancy. Also, other minor characters helped in that process. Consequently, another downer component of the story was the author's need to leave sizable chunks of the plot left unfinished though I kept on blazing through thinking at least the pertinent sections would find closure. Nope! Basically, I felt the author got so absorbed in the descriptiveness that she neglected completeness or that's her writing style. Finally, if you are in search of a large dose of paranoia this book is the whereabouts to obtain a Paranoia Pacific Dream (Whisky Cocktail).
In Conclusion, this is just my opinion and reality, so thank’s for stopping by!
For What is reality but a construct of our own minds?
~NOLAN
Valerie Geary is the author of Crooked River, an Oregon Book Award Finalist and Indie Next Great Read. Now out in paperback! Her short stories have appeared in The Rumpus, Day One, Menda City Review, Boston Literary Magazine, Foundling Review, the UK publication Litro, and others. Her second novel, Everything We Lost will be released in August 2017.
She currently lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband. In addition to writing, reading, and all things chocolate, Valerie enjoys gardening, hiking, sailing, cycling, and playing disc golf.
Tour Stops 👽👽
Tuesday, August 22nd: Girl Who Reads
Wednesday, August 23rd: Booked on a Feeling
Thursday, August 24th: Ms. Nose in a Book
Friday, August 25th: Real Life Reading
Monday, August 28th: Tina Says…
Tuesday, August 29th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, August 30th: Jathan & Heather
Tuesday, September 5th: StephTheBookworm
Wednesday, September 6th: Readaholic Zone
Friday, September 8th: Always With a Book
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