Unputdownable. Is that even a word? I had to check before I wrote this, even though it’s on the flap of the book itself. As far as this book is concerned, it’s a feeling even if it wasn’t a word… but it is, so we’re good. The point is, I couldn’t put it down.
This book checked so many boxes for me. It’s a first novel for this author and I have been loving first novels lately. Emma Knight is a Canadian author, which is important for so many reasons. The book takes place in Scotland and there’s a castle. (Really, it had me at castle in Scotland…) It contains a mystery but isn’t classified as such and there is a love story but it’s not a romance novel. Not that there is anything wrong with either, but I am trying to broaden my repertoire and I feel like it hit the mark. It’s emotional, thought provoking and explorative of friendships, family ties and knowing oneself.
Relationships, particularly female is the central theme, along with a motherhood, coming of age and sexuality side bar and I was completely invested in the main character, Pen, and her friends lives. The human instinct to dwell in the past and the need to move into the future are prevalent in the story and part of what makes this book so hard to put down.
If you are struggling to read as much as you’d like this book could kickstart your spiral into obsessive reading! I normally read a lot, and this book has taken me into a new level of devouring books. I feel like it’s opened up a new path that will take me beyond the cozy mysteries and suspenseful thrillers that are always my go to and into a literary paradise of damn good books.
Courtney Allen is the manager of Golden’s bookstore, Four Points Books.
Interested in giving this book a read? Visit the bookstore or head to the Four Points Books website to order it.
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About Four Points Books
We are a family-owned independent bookstore nestled in the heart of the Columbia Valley with locations in Invermere and Golden. Four Points Books is not just a place to buy books; it’s a hub for fostering connections, sparking conversations, and celebrating the joy of reading.
