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A review by infinite_kay
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
5.0
I wasn't prepared for what If You Find Me had in store for me. Even with the great reviews I had read on Goodreads and some blogs, I thought it would simply be an entertaining story with a more serious tone than the ones I have been reading lately. While this preconception hold true, it was also a lot more emotional and "true" than I had expected.
In fact, I feel a bit at a loss writing this review. I have lots of keywords to describe my reading of Emily Murdoch's debut novel, but very few complete sentences : intense; emotional; evocative prose; complexity. This is a tale of a neglected childhood that felt surprisingly realistic to me. I also feel that even without having lived through the horrific events of Carey's life, many readers will be able to relate to her characters : her fears, her thoughts, her despair, are all similar to what many of us go through in our teenage years, although in different situations. I thought the woods Carey grew up in were a beautiful metaphor of life's more difficult times (and the beauty we can see through them), which made all the more sense once I read this guest post by the author at The Midnight Garden (it's a gorgeous post; go read it!)
The book itself wasn't perfect : I thought the romance was really unnecessary, and I would have preferred for Carey to discover simple friendship first (although there is a bit of that, too). I also felt like the "mystery" would have had a stronger effect if it had been shared from the start, allowing us to understand Carey a little bit more.
These negative aspects didn't matter much though; in the end, I absolutely loved If You Find Me. It was grim and depressing at time, yet beautifully contrasted with love and hope - these two feelings mostly represented by the two sisters, who have very distinct attitudes toward their new lives.
If You Find Me is already a favorite of mine this year, and I strongly recommend it to readers of contemporary fiction. I absolutely can't wait to read more from Emily Murdoch!
If You Find Me is available for sale right now! Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for generously providing a digital copy of the book for this review.
In fact, I feel a bit at a loss writing this review. I have lots of keywords to describe my reading of Emily Murdoch's debut novel, but very few complete sentences : intense; emotional; evocative prose; complexity. This is a tale of a neglected childhood that felt surprisingly realistic to me. I also feel that even without having lived through the horrific events of Carey's life, many readers will be able to relate to her characters : her fears, her thoughts, her despair, are all similar to what many of us go through in our teenage years, although in different situations. I thought the woods Carey grew up in were a beautiful metaphor of life's more difficult times (and the beauty we can see through them), which made all the more sense once I read this guest post by the author at The Midnight Garden (it's a gorgeous post; go read it!)
The book itself wasn't perfect : I thought the romance was really unnecessary, and I would have preferred for Carey to discover simple friendship first (although there is a bit of that, too). I also felt like the "mystery" would have had a stronger effect if it had been shared from the start, allowing us to understand Carey a little bit more.
These negative aspects didn't matter much though; in the end, I absolutely loved If You Find Me. It was grim and depressing at time, yet beautifully contrasted with love and hope - these two feelings mostly represented by the two sisters, who have very distinct attitudes toward their new lives.
If You Find Me is already a favorite of mine this year, and I strongly recommend it to readers of contemporary fiction. I absolutely can't wait to read more from Emily Murdoch!
If You Find Me is available for sale right now! Thanks to St. Martin's Griffin for generously providing a digital copy of the book for this review.