The Why of Things

by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop

From the critically acclaimed and “bitingly intelligent” ( The New York Times Book Review ) author of December comes a buoyant and beautiful new novel about a family struggling in the aftermath of a suicide.

Since the tragic loss of her seventeen-year-old daughter less than a year ago, Joan Jacobs has been working hard to keep her tight-knit family from coming apart. But it seems as if she and Anders, her husband, have lost their easy comfort with each other and are unable to snap back from their isolation into the familiarity and warmth they so desperately need, both for themselves and for their surviving daughters, Eve and Eloise. The Jacobses flee to their summer home in search of peace and renewal, but moments after they arrive the family is confronted with an eerily similar that same evening a pickup truck had driven into the quarry in their backyard. Within hours, the local police drag up the body of a young man, James Favazza.

As the Jacobs family learns more about the inexplicable events that led up to that fateful June evening, each of them becomes increasingly tangled in the emotional threads of James’ life and fifteenyear- old Eve grows obsessed with proving that James’ death wasn’t an accident, though the police refuse to consider this; Anders finds himself forced to face his own deepest fears; and seven-year-old Eloise unwittingly adopts James’ orphaned dog. Joan herself becomes increasingly fixated on James’ mother, a stranger whose sudden loss so closely mirrors her own. With an urgent, beautiful intimacy that her fans have come to expect from this “bitingly intelligent writer” ( The New York Times ), Elizabeth Hartley

Winthrop delivers a powerful, buoyant, and riveting new novel that explores the complexities of family relationships and the small triumphs that can bring unexpected healing. The Why of Things is a wise, empathetic, and exquisitely heartfelt story about the strength of family bonds. It is an unforgettable and searing tour de force.

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Family, Mystery, Novels, Book Club, Grief

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2013

Reviews

[Lydia Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop takes on the hard subject of suicide in The Why of Things. This is not made readily apparent, and I would not have been aware that this was the subject of the book had I not read the summary of the plot beforehand - so put out of your mind any thought of the heavy-handed nature some more angsty books use to get the message across.

What I think of when I consider The Why of Things as a book is the word gentle. Every incident, every action of Evie, Eloise, and their parents comes across as something gentle or quiet. This book doesn't deal with the violent aftermath of grief and anger that suicide can leave in its wake - rather it deals with what happens after time has passed and the loved ones are left just asking "why?".

Although Winthrop does not claim to answer the "why" in a way that we would consider to be cut and dried, the book left me with the impression that I had just had a glimpse into the life of a family who is on the path to recovery and of two daughters whose lives have been forever altered by the loss of their sister but who have managed to pull through.

This was a beautiful read. It didn't have drive or make me feel as if I absolutely had to pick up the book, but I wanted to pick it up because I became invested in the lives of the people in the story. What more can you ask for in a good book?

[Zoeytron · Rating 4 out of 5]

As one might expect from the title, this is not a book full of high drama. It is all the better for the lack of it. The author quietly ushers us into the lives of the Jacobs family, who are all in the midst of coping with the death of daughter/sister Sophie from just less than a year ago. 'Sophie's absence has slowly woven itself into the fabric of reality', but when the family returns to their summer home for the first time since her suicide, the wound is opened afresh. They are all slowly coming to accept that nothing is ever going to be the same in their lives.

The characters are deftly written and the story rings true. There are not always going to be pat answers to the 'whys' in life. If there are loose threads not tied up here as tidily as we might like, isn't that just life as we know it?

This was a First-reads giveaway, thank you.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

well....let me start off by saying it had a good story line to it, characters were good, convincable. But unfortunately, I feel it lacked interest, I kept waiting for something to happen, something that would want me to turn the next page, but it just seemed to lag along. I couldn't wait to be done it.
I gave it two stars cause it really wasn't a terrible story, just alittle boring for me.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful exploration of grief and survival after the loss of a loved one. A heart rending tale, sensitively told.

[EMary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps it's due to a Yankee restraint on the writer's part, but there's a certain lack of weight to "The Why of Things", despite its weighty underlying theme: how to overcome the incomprehensibility of death in all its forms. I can't tell if the writer is wearing her theme on her sleeve or well inside it. In any case, the quotidian is the focus here, and Winthrop does a beautiful job of conveying how everyday tasks and simple objects become unwitting markers and touchstones in the wake of loss. But there's too much that's forced---not demonstrably so, but in such a nuanced story, all it takes is a little to notice the gears turning. Characters too often conveniently blunder upon telling objects such as an open notebook or pamphlet in a purse or old roll of film or letter written by a dead child. The blend of epiphany and foreboding in these moments becomes somewhat repetitive, especially as the story unravels fairly slowly and without expected plot twists/ reversals. Characters also watch each other unawares a lot and follow people in cars or on a bike (undetected every time) and peer in and out of windows (okay, caught once). Some things strain credulity. For one, it's hard to believe that, less than a year after the (spoiler) death-by-suicide of their eldest daughter, this family would so readily return to their summer routine, that the awful burden of such a loss wouldn't color still their thoughts and interactions in a more obvious way (and make it impossible to so glibly discuss preferences for either death by fire or drowning, as Anders and Eve do). Also, there are more than a few connections made and conclusions drawn that the reader comes to well ahead of the characters (the stray dog belonging to the dead man in the truck--duh!--and an unnoticed license plate that's right in front of daughter Eve's eyes). But maybe most disappointing for me was the unconvincing portrayal of Joan as writer. I didn't buy that she'd use her present experiences as so much fodder for her current writing efforts, at least not in so blunt or literal a way. Yes, the author hints at a remoteness on Joan's part that might have been a factor in her daughter's suicide, but the author never really delves into this by having Joan look deeply inside herself. Joan is, sadly, the most underwritten of the characters. Maybe the whole "meta" experience of writing about a writer who's writing about the events that the writer's writing about...

I'm anxious to read the author's other books; despite my criticisms of "The Why of Things", I find her rendering of the inner lives of the Jacobs family lovingly done. I also appreciate the absence of "sweep", the contemplative tone, and the way she maintains interest with the compressed, alternating viewpoints of her characters. A worthwhile read.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jacobs family is still reeling from the suicide of their daughter/sister Sophie at age 17. Joan and Anders, the parents, Eve [15]and Eloise [10], the sisters, trying to prevent total disintegration of their lives, seek to fill the hours.

When they arrive at their summer home in Maine, Eve notices tire tracks in their yard, leading to the quarry behind the house, "a silent scar of the granite days, filled with the rain of years, hundreds of feet deep". The body of a man, 27, is retrieved from the water; his name is James Favazza. Later his truck is winched out as well. Eve spends the summer diving for "clues" and seeking to make sense of this death. Was it a suicide? Or a homicide? Nobody seems to be asking the questions that Eve wants answered.

Meantime, Anders is taking a scuba class. So he, too, is exploring the underwater world.

And Joan has made the superficial acquaintence of James Favazza's mother. Two women whose children are dead. But they aren't of solace to each other.

Sometimes we never know the why of things. Some things just ARE.

[Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great story. I'd never heard of this author but I'll be looking for more of her books. Not only was her writing very good, her story had just the right amount of everything. It's about a family dealing with the loss of a beloved family member & because of the good writing you actually care. The Jacobs family is real but not annoying or cheesy. They're each, mother, father, & two daughters, dealing with the suicide of the 3rd daughter in their own way. I liked how separate they were in their grief, they were each dealing with their loss in their own ways, & you feel for them all. I absolutely loved that the author didn't dwell on the actual suicide, she never even tells us why the girl did it. It was a brilliant move because it was the Jacobs' story, not the dead girl's & because I imagine when you're dealing with suicide there isn't always an answer. This was a smart, touching story with good writing. Elizabeh Hartley Winthrop, what else do you have up your sleeve I wonder?

[Jaclyn Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a quiet gut punch I wasn’t expecting. It’s a novel about a family—father, mother, two daughters—going back to their summer house in Massachusetts to try and put their lives back to normal. Their oldest daughter died tragically about a year prior and the family is still uncertain about how to move forward and interact with one another. The book follows each family member in different ways, but it mostly shows each of them reacting to the death of a man in the quarry behind their summer house just after they arrive for the summer. After spotting tire tracks leading into the quarry, they call the authorities and a truck—and the dead driver, James Favazza—are pulled from the water. Each family member uses this event as a catalyst for examining their own feelings about their personal family tragedy. There are a few moments that were really raw and beautiful—the writing is fantastic. One part made me cry. If you read it, we’ll compare notes.

[Patsey]

Thoughtful. Do books choose you? Do you pick a book to read at the time in your life when you need it? Death and dying is on my mind with Mom in hospital. Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop writes these words TO ME:
"In all the thinking he's done about death over the past year, he's been able to find no solace in any concept he has considered; the scientific reality depresses him, and the notion of heaven is impossible to believe. But down here, he comes to his own understanding of a single energy that inhabits all living things, an energy that is both fleeting and eternal; we each are given it only for a time before it passes on to give life to something else. What is comforting,at last, is the idea that while the energy might indeed pass on, it still exists somewhere, and it cannot be destroyed."
Love you always Mom & Dad xo

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical writing. The worst scenario, losing a child, is explored. The WHY is never discovered.

[Dorothy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing happens but everything matters in this gorgeous novel. Characters and details are beautifully rendered. The sense of place is perfect. I devoured it in one sitting. Winthrop is a genius.

[Tracey Gemmell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poignant portrayal of trying to find 'normal' after the loss of a child. The Jacobs family return to their summer home for the first summer after the death of their daughter. Another unfortunate death in, literally, their own backyard sees them reliving their own loss. Told from multiple points of view, 'The Why of Things' is beautifully crafted. At times the descriptive passages of locations seemed to slow the tale, but I came to realize that was the point: to find 'normal' in the sounds and sights and routines of familiar places whilst living them in a completely alternate universe to the one experienced pre-loss. Don't expect answers, but that's what contributes to the depth of this story, leaving the reader moved and thoughtful. Recommended.

[Miriam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly for my own notes in the future: depressing, didn’t just want to jump in my reading chair and get to it, yes beautifully written, about HEALING, but nothing really happens. The Mercy Seat was far better.

[Tanja · Rating 4 out of 5]

It fulfilled my summer reading urge. It was set in New England, near the water, which I liked. It was gentle in tone. It was about the characters processing their loss, not a murder mystery. I enjoyed spending time with these people.

[Michelle Drwal · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good book until the end....it just ended with a lot of unanswered questions

[Kathy Dempsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

good book, but like more closure.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay book but I didn't like the ending. The book just stopped nowhere.

[Kristine Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quiet glimpse into a family's life after a teenage girl's suicide. Not as weighty as I would have expected, but still poignant and well done.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel did what I tried to do with my short story, "Skydiving," in how it dealt with the aftermath of a suicide on the surviving family. Sophie, the girl who killed herself, was largely indistinct, save for generalities about being bound for college and having a teenage social circle at her summer home. I struggled for the same with my character, Andrea; I didn't want to go too deep into what she did (or why) and even who she was as a person, and the reason for that choice is explored so wonderfully in this novel. The "who, what why" is because our family members, in some ways, are always unknowable. The story was about the impact on the living.

Anders most resembled my protagonist, Carol, who took to skydiving as life affirmation as he did to scuba diving. His wife and daughter were slightly more removed in their grief, taking cues from an eerily similar tragedy that occurred ten months after Sophie's death, at their beach house. Daughter Eve became obsessed with how this tragedy occurred, convinced that the authorities weren't giving it proper attention, and wife/novelist Joan became somewhat embroiled in the lives of the surviving family members. Perhaps somewhat egotistically, Winthrop made Joan the most pensive and nuanced of all of her characters--able to consider various aspects of human emotional complexity thanks to her profession as a writer. :p. Though it was Eve, perhaps, who reminded me most of myself--her thought processes were so clear in her head, but whenever she tried to do any real investigating, things kind of fell apart.

Overall, these characters were of a rather subtle variety--no one had a particularly sharp tongue or crazy fetish or anything to make them incredibly distinctive from one another. They were all rather introverted and absorbed in their own little worlds, which works (and is often where I write, particularly in writing short stories,) but can lack the ability to be transcendent with the bigger world and larger issues. You know, besides these individuals grappling with the meaning of life and death. :p. So I can't exactly dislike Winthrop's choices; these are just matters I thought about in the periphery while reading.

Sometimes I think the writing got a little indulgent--again, the way mine does--when a character gets lost in thought and suddenly all of the specifics of a domestic task are described in minute detail. I felt this specifically while Joan was resting her hands on the rumbling washing machine for a few paragraphs. :p. But one thing I wish I were better at--where Winthrop excels--is physical description. I tend to gloss over that stuff, but I made myself go back and re read sections, to picture their outer world more completely.

It was a great conceit to set the novel at their summer house, where the family, recently getting back to normal routines, would have to face Sophie's death anew by the stuff she left behind last summer. The town of Gloucester, and all of their annual routines there, were described down to the quick, and it was almost disconcerting that they didn't know more people, except of course that they'd retreated into themselves after their tragedy. Still, again with indulgence, I thought Winthrop maybe had her cake and ate it, too. The family only resided here for three months out of the year, but this was where they stored all their historic valuables? Also--I didn't like that they referred to the location of their other home as "Maryland". I am, of course, somewhat biased, because I've lived in Maryland all my life. I know we are a small state, but we can get as hyper-local as the rest of the country. :p. Surely they would think of their home as "Bethesda" or "Frederick," and not just "Maryland." I realize how concretely the story focused on the summer home, for obvious reasons, but a slight tweak would have made their backstory feel more real.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop’s third novel, and they just get better and better. Winthrop has a calmly beautiful way of telling a story that is seething with tension and loss. This one is about the Jacobs family arriving at their summer house on a quarry in Lanesville, a section of Gloucester, Massachusetts. For decades Winthrop has summered nearby in the village of Annisquam, so she knows the terrain well. (As her neighbor in Annisquam, it was fun for me to imagine just which locations have prompted her imagery: the Jacobs summer house is her uncle’s house on a Lanesville quarry; the Widow’s Walk tavern is the Rhumb Line in Gloucester).

The Jacobs family is Anders and Joan, with daughters Eloise, Eve, and Sophia. Sophia is not really there—but her presence is an important part of the story. When they arrive for a summer they discover that a car has just driven into the 100-foot deep quarry. The police are called and the car (with the body of it’s driver, James Favazza) is recovered. What a way to start a summer—a family with an empty chair and a death in the backyard.

Mother Joan and daughter Eve become obsessed with Favazza’s death as they try to integrate Sophia’s suicide into their new lives, that is, to discover the why of things. Joan is fixed on Favazza’s mother’s pain; 15-year old Eve is fixated on James’s circumstances: if it was suicide, why? If it was foul play, why? Eloise, the youngest, is wrapped in the idea of death. Anders is just trying to keep his head above water.

Eve is the most aggressive in her pursuit of information, to the point of danger. She is convinced that there was foul play and that nobody but her cares to ferret it out. Her search is the thread through the story, linking the mystery of Sophia’s death with that of James. Our hearts ache for Eve as we focus on her pain and her search.

Its been said that a great novelist can make eating pancakes into an absorbing story; a great novel tells the story of ordinary events in an extraordinary way. Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop has become an excellent novelist, and might be heading toward greatness. Read and decide!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

From The Book Wheel:

Before I jump into this review of The Why of Things by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop, I want to point out that while it’s a great story, it’s not a good galley to request. I say this because the NetGalley copy is a PDF file that such tiny print that it was really hard to read and I almost put it down in the first few chapters because I was tired of squinting. I may have to start paying more attention to the file types that I am requesting in the future!

Despite my husband’s observations that I should put on my glasses and me pointing out that wasn’t the problem, I put on my patience pants and kept on reading. Now that my eyesight is going back to normal, I can happily report that this is a great book. Set in Cape Ann, MA, the story opens with a tragedy that takes place on their summer property, reopening wounds that haven’t yet healed from the oldest daughter’s fairly recent suicide. As is common in real life, each family member is dealing with the tragedies in their own way and together, they feel isolated. The bulk of the story focuses on Eve, who is a precocious and curious 17 year old trying to avoid “dead sister pity” while on a mission to find answers to the tragedy in Jacobs’ backyard. Although their reactions are different, the common thread between all of the characters is their journey to learn the why of things.

I liked this book because I am originally from Massachusetts, so I could identify with the over-abundance of CVS stores and I’ve spent summer days at Canobie Lake Park.  Oh, and I know how to pronounce Gloucester!

For the full review, click here.

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why, we ask ourselves at the death of a parent, a child, a sibling or a stranger. Why that moment, that place, that person and so a story unfolds.

Death creates a distancing between people. It isolates. Each dealing with what has happened in their own way. Grief. The lose of a child, a sister.

And then there is the mystery of the second death of the stranger. Eve convinces herself it might have been murder just as her sister's death was not and begins to investigate. While Joan questions how she is able to endure the loss of a child and holds the guilt of having taken that child for granted for too long. Anders, her husband, worries about his roses and the distance growing between himself and Joan. Eloise, the youngest child, fears the quarry is contaminated forever by the death of the stranger. But most of all they are at a loss as to why Sophie, the oldest child, has died.

Summer distractions fill their time. Anders takes the diving lessons Joan has given him as a gift. Eve finds a job working at a local greenhouse. Eloise goes to day camp and Joan begins writing her next book. Oh, and then there is the dog who mysteriously turns up on their property. Each dealing with the lose of Sophie.

"a single energy that inhabits all living things, an energy that is both fleeting and eternal; we each are given it only for a time before it passes on to give life to something else."

The why? "For the living, for those left behind, there is no answer that is good enough."

Very moving book which I throughly enjoyed and highly recommend. This one really makes you think. There truly is no answer to why.

I won this book in a FirstReads giveaway.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am writing a review for this book after winning a copy on goodreads.com

I enjoyed reading The Why of Things by Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop. I had not read any of Elizabeth's books previously; but look forward to enjoying more of her work in the future.

In The Why of Things, the Jacob family (Anders, Joan, Eve, and Eloise) return to their summer home in Cape Ann only to find a tragedy awaiting them.

In the quarry on their property a young man (James Favazza)has lost his life. Eve (15 years old) is obsessed with finding out exactly how this young man lost his life. They have been told by the authorities that he died from a tragic accident or a suicide. In Eve's mind it was something much more sinister.

The entire family struggles with the loss of this stranger in their own way, due to the recent loss of their own daughter/sister, Sophie (17 years old), from suicide. There are many parallels with their own tragic loss of Sophie and the current loss of James Favazza. They try to work through their own feelings of loss and betrayal of their daughter/sister, by concentrating on what is currently happening in their summer home.

I would have liked to have found out what really happened to James Favazza; but understand that the situation was used as a mirror for the Jacobs family to come to terms with the loss of their own Sophie, more than to tell the story of James life and what ended it. But, it leaves me wondering. I also would have liked to have heard more about what had led their daughter/sister to so tragically take her own young life. That being said though, I really did enjoy reading this novel.

[Hattie Richards · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the book that finally prompted me to google “How to write a book review.” This was immediately followed by a complete disregard for their suggested layout and content. Because what struck a particular cord was not the vocabulary, pace, sequence of events or characterisation. It was the resonance of a single question, loaded with endless opportunities for inference or possibilities; ‘why?’

A personal empathy with the characters aside, after the initial confusion regarding Eve’s motives was clarified, I just felt a deep sadness towards them, Eve and Eloise in particular. Despite the apparent lunacy of their actions, their behaviour just begged for somebody to validate their reactions, fears and coping methods.

Why would a family member, so loved, do such a thing? Why would it then cruelly repeat itself only once they’d start to live with the permanent alteration in every aspect of their lives? Why does nobody have the answers, or the details?

When somebody answers a ‘why’ question with ‘just because’ you feel a sudden swell of irritation, because you immediately answer ‘that’s not a proper answer.’ Yet sometimes, that’s the only answer you get. You can never know the details, the ‘whys’. And then having to live with not knowing why is just as incomprehensible as the very action itself.

[Nora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. I'm left wishing I got so much more out of this book than I did. I really did like the characters, but the story just dragged. The description of the novel drew me in immediately and I felt compelled to read it, but the entire time I did read it, I kept waiting for something to truly grab me. It didn't happen.

The main action of the story focused on 15-year-old Eve trying to solve the mystery of the incident that occurred in their quarry (it opens with this, but I still don't want to give it away). For some reason, I just did not care. I understood why she cared so much, but it didn't intrigue me at all.

What I did care about was the relationships between the characters in the family, and how they coped together after the eldest daughter's suicide. I got a little of this, but not nearly enough. I feel that this should have played a much bigger role. It would have made a far more compelling story.

It was definitely a well-written book, with lots of beautiful language, so that helped me bump up my rating. One thing that bugged me throughout, though, was how the author spelled "yeah". It was written as "yuh" every time someone said it. WHY! I discovered a new pet peeve thanks to that.

[PacaLipstick Gramma · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is a gifted writer, but after while it just seemed to drone on.

I am being neither callous or insensitive. I have dealt with the tragic death of a child. It feels like someone has reached in, pulled your body inside out, and dumped salt on you. My apologies to those that feel this is too graphic ~ but the pain indescribable, at times incomprehensible. There are always the "what ifs". And for all the questions you ask yourself, sometimes there are just no answers. True, you do find yourself doing things you wouldn't normally do, but the death of a child is not within the realm of normal.

I was disappointed that book did not stress the importance of counseling. Support groups may help some, but you can't keep running away from your grief and pain by "doing things". That is basically what this family did. They are supposedly a close family, but have difficulty sharing their feelings.

If you are trying to understand what the family goes through with a familial death, I wouldn't put this on the reading list. It has been some time since I have read Life Without Summer by Lynne Griffin, but I thought that book was much more realistic.

[ChrisGA · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family arrives at their summer house on Cape Ann to find that someone has driven his truck into the quarry behind their home and died. As the removal and cleanup progresses and the family settles in for the summer, we learn that the family’s seventeen-year-old daughter killed herself by driving her car in front of a train. The four of them-father, mother, 15-year-old and 7-year-old sisters -are trying separately to create a new normal for their lives as they deal with their grief over their loss. They are drawn, once again separately, to learn about the young man who died in the quarry and why it happened.
It is a poignant and touching story with likeable, well-developed characters for whom the reader feels empathy and hopes for something to happen to ease their aching hearts.

[Alecia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found The Why of Things to be an enjoyable read. The Jacobs family is suffering a tragic loss of seventeen year old Sophie, who killed herself by driving into an oncoming train about a year before this story is told. She was a beloved daughter and sister and the family goes to their summer place to search for peace. But soon upon their arrival, a similar tragedy is discovered. One of the surviving daughters, Eve, discovers a pickup truck's tracks leading into the quarry, and soon the police are there. A truck and it's driver are dragged up, and it is another apparent suicide. Eve, however, makes attempting to find out what happened to the driver, 27 year old James Favazza, her obsession. This novel is well-crafted and well-written and explores the dynamics of terrible loss in a family.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Why of Things is the study of a family still dealing with the death of the oldest daughter, then suddenly facing an unexplained death on their summer property before they arrive. The parents, Joan and Anders, are emotionally very far apart and having trouble finding their way back to each other, and are now unintentionally involved in this mysterious death on their property. The two remaining daughters, Eve and Eloise, are dealing in their own way. I liked the feel of their vacation home on a quarry in a small town on the Cape where they spend their summers. Not a whole lot happens in the book, and most of the mystery is left unresolved, but I did like getting to know the family, and I found myself hopeful for their future.

[Melissa Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually would give this story 4.5 stars. I felt connected with the characters and since I grew up in upper New England the setting too. I loved the language style of the author and was intrigued by the mystery aspect. Although I don't need to have all the loose ends tied at the end of the plot, I felt a hole not knowing more about the reasons for James' death. I realize it wasn't needed for the resolution of the characters' healing and rebuilding of relationships but I wanted to know more. If there had been a few more answers it would have been a 5 for sure. An enjoyable read that I recommend.