A review by wardenred
Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Wretched places, villages. 

Such a delightful and slightly bittersweet read with wintry vibes. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. The protagonists especially, but really, the cast is full of flawed and lovable individuals—some perhaps less lovable than others, and yet all equally compelling. Seriously, this tiny post-WW2 village enchanted me in the darkest way. Everyone here is so broken, and yet life goes on. Well, for everyone who doesn’t end up murdered, that is.

Speaking of the murders, I have to admit the mystery felt a tad confusing in how it was laid out. It’s possible that it’s on me because honestly, I was more invested in all the people and relationships than in figuring out the killer’s identity. But perhaps it’s also because the author’s understandable attempts to obfuscate the truth and keep the reader guessing were a tad awkward at times. Regardless, I enjoyed how the investigation shook up the community, and when the reveal came, it was the kind of surprise that made perfect sense and I actually really liked the who and the why.

The romance part is beautifully done. I just absolutely adored how James and Leo’s personal arcs intersected and what came of it. James is a village doctor, a good, honest, kind man dealing with PTSD from the war and constantly convincing himself that everything is fine, all the people around him are perfectly nice and normal, and nothing nefarious ever goes on anywhere. These affirmations begin to lose plausibility fast when a murder happens in the community, though. Meanwhile, Leo is a spy tasked with looking into said murder. Where James consciously lies to himself about the world, Leo lies to the world about himself. His existence is a kaleidoscope of fake identities and fictional stories, and he doesn’t even know at this point who he is underneath all that. Except when he gets a tiny bit stuck in Wychcomb St. Mary and starts interacting with the locals—particularly with James, but not just him—he starts stumbling upon the reality behind his own masks.

It was really great to see these two go from the initial clash to growing intimacy, and to witness how their developing relationship forced them to challenge and adjust their coping mechanisms. In big part thanks to James, Leo dug deeper underneath his masks and started trying to be honest with someone else. In big part thanks to Leo, James stopped turning away from the question of, “How do I live in a world where people are capable of doing awful things to each other?“ and started seeking an answer. The book ends with a HFN rather than a HEA, both in terms of the romance and their personal journeys, but hey, that’s why I’m definitely going to pick up the sequel.

I also really, really liked how the whole theme of secrets and lies permeated the entire village. No character left behind. At least one skeleton in every closet. Glorious. Also, for an m/m romance this book has so many awesome female characters! Fifteen-year-old Wendy with her quick mind, the elderly ladies from Little Briars, Mary Griffiths with her secrets and her truths—I love them all.
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