Book Review: Bereft By Chris Womersly

Hi there. How was your day?

Bereft by Chris Womersly
Genre: Historical Fiction

It is a pretty cover. I like how the earthy tones meet each other.

A CRIME UNSPEAKABLE

Australia, 1919. Quinn Walker returns from the Great War to the New South Wales town of Flint; the birthplace he fled ten years earlier when he was accused of a heinous act.

A LIE UNFORGIVABLE

Aware of the townsmen's vow to hang him, Quinn takes to the surrounding hills. Here, deciding upon his plan of action, and questioning just what he has returned for, he meets Sadie Fox.

A BOND UNSPEAKABLE

This mysterious girl seems to know, and share, his darkest fear. And, as their bond greatens, Quinn learns what he must do to lay the ghosts of his past, and Sadie's present, to rest.

*description on the back of the book*

           The book started off quite slow but it was okay. I noticed right-off that the writing was though beautiful, sometimes over-descriptive. I didn't mind it that much though because it is a relatively short book compared to some other books I read. If the book was longer, it would be a problem.

        Lets talk about the characters. Quinn Walker is....how do I put it...confusing. I do feel sorry for him sometimes (because of his post-war trauma). I do feel that the writing was not done as good as I would like it to be. The emotions were there, just not enough. War is an emotional subject. I could have touched me better.

         Quinn is too weird. I am put-off by his obsession with his sister. It is too creepy for me.

          The other character that can be considered a main character is Sadie Fox. She is a girl of 12-years old that lives with Quinn in the hills. She's the one that finds him food and tells him secrets. Sadie practices what I think is witchcraft (this is not a spoiler, don't worry). Sometimes the creep factor is a plus and other times, just plain random. One minute she does something, I go "Oh, that's so disgusting". Sometimes I go "Why the hell..?"

        One thing I enjoyed in this book was the war stories Quinn would tell (or remember). Flashbacks are often in this story and often I was more interested in them than the actual plot. The stories were vivid (the description comes in handy here) and gruesome. This one particular scene was totally cringe-worthy.

          The relationship between Quinn and Sadie is one of the parts of that I feel most awkward about. I mean, what is it? Brotherly love? Sexual tension? It disturbs me. After finishing the book, I still couldn't figure out what has gone so wrong with Sadie that she had ended up like that. 

The parts where both Sadie and Quinn were present I hated the most. No. No.

          The ending was NOT satisfying for me. No, it seems pointless. I feel as if the plot has abandoned me.

Overall, I give this book 2.5 stars. Yeah, I did not like it that much.

If you've read this book, what are your thoughts on it?

Tweedle-dee, tweedle-dum,
Cheerio!