Elizabeth Lewes – Little Falls

‘Little Falls’ by Elizabeth Lewes is a debut novel which has elements of thriller, mystery and suspense weaved into the story.

Camille has returned home from Iraq, after serving time over there in the Army. She comes back to a daughter she left as a baby, who is now a teenager. She is faced with a girl who is grieving for her grandad and who is a typical teen along with mixing with the wrong crowd. Camille truly doesn’t understand how to parent, she loves her daughter but has been away for so long everything is different. We also see Camille struggle with normal, civilian life after being in the armed forces for so long.

On a routine property tax inspection, she discovers a young teenager that has been tortured and left hanging in a barn. This brings her PTSD flooding back, scenes of her army days and discovering a previous hanged young soldier that caused her to struggle then all overtake her logic. She is back in her paranoid, anxiety-ridden world. The one were she cannot separate reality from paranoia. Camille is falling apart, pretending to be tough when really she is falling apart.

A brutal book in parts due to the sensitive nature of the subjects dealt with, but a book where the author clearly understands PTSD and all the concerns around it. I thought it a raw, intense story and a subject that is seldomly tackled so head-on. My heart ached for Camille and her situation. Even as she dug her hole deeper as she went, I could understand why and how this came about. I just wanted to cuddle her and say it would be okay. A story full of twists and turns in which Camille’s path was following and one which, I as a reader was alongside her all the way.

I do wonder if we will be having a second book about Camille or not, will be interesting to see, I would enjoy another book for Camille and her life after the Army. Thanks to Damp Pebbles Blog Tours and the publisher for my copy of Little Falls for the blog tour.