A review by bibliobliss_au
Ash Mountain by Helen Fitzgerald
4.0
In her Author’s Note, Helen FitzGerald says she set out to upset people when she wrote this disaster thriller. She believed the story should be upsetting. And she’s right. And it is.
I’m a little in awe of this book. It gripped me, it shook me and it made me feel so much. It’s fantastically written and paced with time-jumps galore, it’s atmospheric and an absolute page-turner. FitzGerald has used great skill to pack a whole heap of story and emotion into this short novel.
The rhythm of the writing took a little bit to settle in to. Things felt left unsaid and thoughts incomplete at first but the brevity of the language succeeds in building the pace as the reader rushes towards the impending disaster.
There are powerful and harrowing moments throughout this book - both in the present timeline and in the town’s dark past. I fought back tears and shook my head at times but loved the characterisation and depiction of small-town, rural life. Living in a community that is frequently bushfire-affected, this story hit hard but the pitch and story-telling is masterful.
Ash Mountain is an incredible read that evokes so much feeling, emotion and reflection. The pitch and story-telling is masterful. This is a story that will stay with me for quite some time.
TW: bushfire, child sexual abuse, suicide, rape
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an advance review copy of this book.
I’m a little in awe of this book. It gripped me, it shook me and it made me feel so much. It’s fantastically written and paced with time-jumps galore, it’s atmospheric and an absolute page-turner. FitzGerald has used great skill to pack a whole heap of story and emotion into this short novel.
The rhythm of the writing took a little bit to settle in to. Things felt left unsaid and thoughts incomplete at first but the brevity of the language succeeds in building the pace as the reader rushes towards the impending disaster.
There are powerful and harrowing moments throughout this book - both in the present timeline and in the town’s dark past. I fought back tears and shook my head at times but loved the characterisation and depiction of small-town, rural life. Living in a community that is frequently bushfire-affected, this story hit hard but the pitch and story-telling is masterful.
Ash Mountain is an incredible read that evokes so much feeling, emotion and reflection. The pitch and story-telling is masterful. This is a story that will stay with me for quite some time.
TW: bushfire, child sexual abuse, suicide, rape
Thank you to the publisher for gifting me an advance review copy of this book.