REVIEW and EXCERPT
All That is Lost Between Us
by Sara Foster
All That is Lost Between Us is the latest release by Sara Foster. I came across this book on NetGalley, a great site for connecting reviewers with new books. You can read my review and an excerpt below.
Description
A mother’s worst fears. A daughter in distress. A family falling apart.
Seventeen-year-old Georgia has a secret – one that is isolating her from everyone she loves. She is desperate to tell her best friend, but Sophia is ignoring her, and she doesn’t know why. Before she can find out, Sophia is left fighting for her life after a hit and run, with Georgia a traumatised witness.
As a school psychologist, Georgia’s mother, Anya, should be used to dealing with scared adolescents. However, it’s very different when the girl who needs help is your own child. Meanwhile, Georgia’s father, Callum, is wracked with a guilt he can’t share – and when her younger brother, Zac, stumbles on an unlikely truth, the family relationships begin to implode.
Georgia’s secret is about to go viral, leaving her in terrible danger. Can the family rise above the lies they have told and fight for what matters most of all?
The lies we tell for love are the most dangerous of all.
Set against the stark, rugged beauty of England’s Lake District, All That is Lost Between Us is a timeless thriller with a modern twist.
Excerpt
Praise for the Book
"All That is Lost Between Us is a skilfully constructed novel that kept me awake long into the night, begging to be read in one sitting." ~ readings.com.au (Stella Charls), January 2016
"This is classic suspense but with a wonderful modern edge." ~ Australian Women’s Weekly (Hannah Richell), January 2016
"This book is a real page-turner, and it gets the moments of tension just right." ~ The Incredible Rambling Elimy (Emily Paull), January 2016
"Foster has an uncanny ability to bring readers into the heart of the suspense, so that they stay up late, hearts thumping, to find out what happens." ~ Write Note Reviews (Monique Mulligan), January 2016
"Foster has produced a tense thriller in All That is Lost Between Us, one with a smart reveal that rewards the reader." ~ The West Australian, January 2016
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Seventeen-year-old Georgia, her cousin Sophia, and her friend Danny become victims of a hit-and-run driver as they walk home from a party one night. While Sophia ends up in hospital, Georgia suffers only minor injuries, thanks to Danny's quick actions. Things become complicated when Danny reveals his suspicion that this was no accident. With everyone in Georgia's family hiding a secret, and with her parents' marriage slowly imploding, it might just take a tragedy to bring this broken family back together again.
The story is told from the points-of-view of all four members of Georgia's family: Georgia herself, her mother Anya, her brother Zac, and her father Callum. Anya's version is told in the first person, while the others are told in the third person. There doesn't appear to be any valid reason for this distinction, except that maybe the author relates most closely to Anya. Anya's perspective, in particular, is overly-introspective, although there are some nice sentiments as she reflects on her first-born child leaving home soon - a situation echoed in my own current circumstances.
In telling her story, the author chooses to use the present tense, with flashbacks in the past tense. Unfortunately, this just doesn't work: the writing is clunky; the flashbacks are telling, not showing; and we hear the same story over and over again - first in the present tense from one point-of-view, then in the past tense from at least one other point-of-view. In addition, the whole story is told in excruciating detail, and none of the characters are remotely likable, with the exception of Danny and possibly Zac.
With all of these drawbacks, the author still manages to maintain suspense by slowly revealing each family member's secret. *Spoiler alert* She throws in a number of red-herrings throughout the story, only to introduce a twist right at the end that no one could possibly see coming; this felt like cheating to me, and I was ultimately left unsatisfied.
While the premise is interesting, this one fails in the execution.
Bonus
About the Author
Sara Foster is the critically acclaimed author of three bestselling psychological suspense novels. Come Back to Me was published in Australia in 2010 and reached the Sydney Morning Herald top ten Australian bestsellers list. Her second book, Beneath the Shadows, reached No. 4 on the Australian Sunday Telegraph bestsellers list, and rights were sold in the USA and Germany. Shallow Breath, Sara’s third release, featured in the Australian Women’s Weekly, was chosen as Book of the Week in the Sydney Morning Herald, and was longlisted for a Davitt Award.
Sara lives in Perth, Western Australia, with her husband and two young daughters. In addition to her novels, she has written for travel website HolidayGoddess.com, and was one of the contributors to The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York, and Rome. She has published independent short fiction alongside Hugh Howey in From the Indie Side, and contributed to the Dear Mum charity anthology published by Random House Australia. She is also very proud to have been one of the original editors of the bestselling Kids’ Night In series, which has been raising money for the charity War Child since 2003.
Links
Amazon UK
