Interesting premise, brilliant descriptions, and relatable characters make All the Broken People an addictive read…
Writer at a woman’s magazine Alice Bennett, the vulnerable protagonist of this moving story, is struggling to rebuild her marriage while trying to leave the scars of her abusive childhood behind. Her mother-in-law’s accidental fall gives Alice an opportunity to temporarily move to the mountain town of Jasper, Georgia and reflect on her life while taking care of the former. After her arrival in Jasper, Alice discovers the fall was no accident. The things take a turn for worse as vicious attacks start to happen with the danger lurking in shadows for the Bennett family and other residents of the town. As ugly secrets from her husband’s past are revealed, Alice finds herself at the centre of a maniac killer’s rage who will stop at nothing to settle old scores. Told from a third-person omniscient, the book starts with Alice’s arrival in Jasper and rolls leisurely with a good dash of suspense in the background. Through Alice, Larry, and Beth, Rivers slowly and expertly explores the psychology of those raised in abusive homes: the different ways the physical and the emotional abuse shape people in their adulthood; the ways those damaged individuals struggle with painful doubts about their self-worth. With her knowledgeable insights into her characters’ deep-seated emotions, Rivers succeeds in keeping the tension high and readers glued to the pages while exploring her protagonists’ vulnerability. Alice’s sympathy for the antagonist (in the end) may well appear overly melodramatic to some readers, but considering the former’s vulnerable background, it is hard to rule it out as something improbable, and many readers will be able to relate well on the subject with Alice. River’s writing is smooth, and she does a great job of creating a multitude of intriguing characters and an eye-catching setting. The sense of tranquillity with dark lurking at the back in the narrative bond well with the brilliantly painted backdrop of a mountain town and characters with past scars. The fact that the seasoned reader will be able to guess the killer quite early in the story combined with the first-rate narrative heavy with emotions makes the book more of a general/women’s fiction than a novel of a psychological suspense. The fans of contemporary fiction will find All the Broken People a delight to read.
All The Broken People
By Amy Rivers
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Compathy Press, LLC
PUB DATE March 5th 2019
ISBN 9780578425313
PRICE $15.99