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A review by shelleys_book_nook
The Secret of the Brighton House by Cathy Hayward
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I really wanted to love this book and I did at first. Joanne thought her mom died while giving birth to her but then she finds some photos of herself as a baby where her mother is holding her so she starts to ask questions. Her dad refuses to answer them so Joanne has to investigate it herself.
I had a few issues with this book namely:
- A government official lets Joanne look through a patient file
- Joanne's father and step-mom tiptoeing around her and not explaining things
- Joanne's mom's family didn't do anything about finding her when she was taken away
- Joanne's father then doubles down on his lies
- Joanne's stepmom and dad hide from her when she comes to the door
- When they do finally answer the door her stepmom closes it in her face
And then there was the story and the writing itself. The writing was pedestrian and very amateurish. The same thing happened over and over again ad nauseam. The book lacked any real depth. If Joanne's father was just honest with her when she asked questions he could have saved Joanne a lot of stress and heartache. He made it worse not better. She had to schlep all over the place in her condition. I hate deception, especially where children are concerned. They should not be lied to no matter what because it'll always come back to haunt you and them, and often the lying is worse than the secret itself, as in this story. While I appreciate what the author was trying to do here, shining a light on a not much talked about mental health issue, it's just got bogged down with how unbelievable the story was, the repetitiveness and amateurish writing.
I had a few issues with this book namely:
- A government official lets Joanne look through a patient file
- Joanne's father and step-mom tiptoeing around her and not explaining things
- Joanne's mom's family didn't do anything about finding her when she was taken away
- Joanne's father then doubles down on his lies
- Joanne's stepmom and dad hide from her when she comes to the door
- When they do finally answer the door her stepmom closes it in her face
And then there was the story and the writing itself. The writing was pedestrian and very amateurish. The same thing happened over and over again ad nauseam. The book lacked any real depth. If Joanne's father was just honest with her when she asked questions he could have saved Joanne a lot of stress and heartache. He made it worse not better. She had to schlep all over the place in her condition. I hate deception, especially where children are concerned. They should not be lied to no matter what because it'll always come back to haunt you and them, and often the lying is worse than the secret itself, as in this story. While I appreciate what the author was trying to do here, shining a light on a not much talked about mental health issue, it's just got bogged down with how unbelievable the story was, the repetitiveness and amateurish writing.