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wordsofclover 's review for:
The Last Days of Summer
by Vanessa Ronan
I received a free copy of this book from Penguin Random House Ireland in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Days of Summer follows a family dealing with upheaval when a uncle who has been in prison for 10 years is released and comes back into the family home. Now Lizzie is trying to accept her brother Jasper is back, while wondering if he's the same man she grew up with while her oldest daughter Katie remains fearful and wants nothing to do with him. The youngest girl, Joanne, ends up forming a bond with Jasper but trouble is only around the corner.
This was a lot more dark than I thought it would be. Based on the cover and description, I thought it was a summery novel about a man acclimatising back into normal family life and the family moulding itself back together. And while it's kind of that, it also isn't. Jasper is not a man who went to prison for something he didn't do. He wasn't wrongfully accused or convicted of a crime, nor does he ever show remorse for the heinous crime he did commit (you learn what he did eventually, though it's heavily hinted through. Hint, it's really bad). Jasper is scary. He's scary in a way that you don't when he'll snap and I found myself fearing for Lizzie and her girls in case he snapped at them and did something awful.
Lizzie's acceptance of her brother being home was interesting. She wasn't totally happy but she never said he wasn't welcome. She opened up her doors for him, and made sure he had a place to go. Yet, she is afraid of him around her daughters despite being happy enough to have him in the home.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone who might be triggered at mentions or flashes of violence, particularly violence towards women. Jasper definitely seems to have a grudge against beautiful women and his thoughts aren't always nice, and are often downright creepy and disturbing - even his thoughts about his nieces. Despite his good relationship with Joanne, his obsession about the 'woman he could see within her' was a bit much for me at time.
One of the strongest bits in the book is the setting I think. There's a huge emphasis on the rural area, the prairie and how each member of the family feels about it and loves it in each their own way.
The ending was a bit of a ride, and quite horrifying as well in a weirdly satisfying way.
The Last Days of Summer follows a family dealing with upheaval when a uncle who has been in prison for 10 years is released and comes back into the family home. Now Lizzie is trying to accept her brother Jasper is back, while wondering if he's the same man she grew up with while her oldest daughter Katie remains fearful and wants nothing to do with him. The youngest girl, Joanne, ends up forming a bond with Jasper but trouble is only around the corner.
This was a lot more dark than I thought it would be. Based on the cover and description, I thought it was a summery novel about a man acclimatising back into normal family life and the family moulding itself back together. And while it's kind of that, it also isn't. Jasper is not a man who went to prison for something he didn't do. He wasn't wrongfully accused or convicted of a crime, nor does he ever show remorse for the heinous crime he did commit (you learn what he did eventually, though it's heavily hinted through. Hint, it's really bad). Jasper is scary. He's scary in a way that you don't when he'll snap and I found myself fearing for Lizzie and her girls in case he snapped at them and did something awful.
Lizzie's acceptance of her brother being home was interesting. She wasn't totally happy but she never said he wasn't welcome. She opened up her doors for him, and made sure he had a place to go. Yet, she is afraid of him around her daughters despite being happy enough to have him in the home.
I don't think I would recommend this book to anyone who might be triggered at mentions or flashes of violence, particularly violence towards women. Jasper definitely seems to have a grudge against beautiful women and his thoughts aren't always nice, and are often downright creepy and disturbing - even his thoughts about his nieces. Despite his good relationship with Joanne, his obsession about the 'woman he could see within her' was a bit much for me at time.
One of the strongest bits in the book is the setting I think. There's a huge emphasis on the rural area, the prairie and how each member of the family feels about it and loves it in each their own way.
The ending was a bit of a ride, and quite horrifying as well in a weirdly satisfying way.