“She wanted this. This new understanding that love was never everything you wanted or needed it to be. It was uncontrollable, it misbehaved. It tethered you but helped make you free.”

Holy shit this book. It took me like nothing has taken me for quite a while. It moved at a simmering pace through the first part; we follow and move with Mina, her thoughts and struggles as she travels home to be with her mother who has recently left the house for the first time in twelve years. The second part sees us swept into Elaine’s world and the separate lives she has been living for the past few decades. This section of the book was astonishing and left such an impression on me. It well encapsulated the intertwined lives of parents and children as well as the unknown life that a parent carries separate to their children - a life children often give little to no thought of until they’re a parent themselves. To journey with Mina through to the end as she makes the realisation of her unawareness of Elaine’s life aside from her existence was a truly wonderful journey to make with Mina, especially as she gains understanding and develops acceptance of a life she had never given much real thought or consideration to. As a daughter, I truly adored this book. It has taught me so much.

4.5 stars.