Today is the turn of Ember by Catherine Yardley on the blog. Thanks to Rachel’s Random Resources and Catherine Yardley for the copy of the book to take part in this tour.
A family torn apart by their father’s infidelity are forced to confront the past thirty years later. As Natalie’s younger sister, Amanda, prepares for marriage and impending motherhood, her plea for the family to reunite uncovers pent-up tension and animosity. Can they forget the past and become a family again?
Natalie’s life begins to unravel as their father starts to creep back into their lives and family tensions resurface, affecting her relationship with her boyfriend, Rob. Will the couple find their way back to each other, and can a family that has been torn apart ever heal their wounds?
Can you ever walk away from someone you love, or do some fires never die out?
A story of the impact of infidelity can have on a family and how that impact can reverberate down the years. A debut novel that impressed me with its original story and honesty.
Told mainly from the points of view of Natalie and Rob we are taken back to the past and told how they remember it and their opinions on exactly what went wrong and how it has impacted every single person today. The overriding theme is of how a person’s past can make them the person they are today. I believe and l ow this, I see my children as adults and can see how their experiences has moulded each one. I see the strength they have through certain events in the past and mine too.
The characters were a great character study. We see the family members and siblings, so interwoven but each with their own personality. Natalie’s story was intriguing and I was soon deep into this book with her experiences from being a child shaping her relationships with every family member as an adult now. Her father is a sticking point and the long term grudge she held from his infidelity. We see how the siblings and even her father handle this now.
I could totally relate to Natalie, she is not perfect and her flaws are laid bare in this story. I understand the complexities of family. I have big issues with mine at this moment in time which do affect me, although I try to push it away. I get her bitterness and this made the story almost feel like a personal journey for me too. I have to admit it took me a while to put these words down as it was almost too close to deal with.
Catherine Yardley expertly weaves all the threads of this raw story together and we can see there is always a chance to rectify and mend relationships with love included. A very well written and personal feeling debut that touched me as the story unfolded. I look forward to more from this author.
Purchase Links
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09V3B6TYX
US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V3B6TYX
Any Purchase/Pre-order Links https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09V3B6TYX#SalesRank
Author Bio
Catherine Yardley has been writing since she was in single figures. She is happiest when she is reading or writing. She writes women’s fiction because she believes women have the right to have their stories told in all of their messy glory. She is represented by Susan Yearwood She lives in London with her husband and their children. Ember is her debut novel.
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