Cascade

by Julia Hannafin

180 pages, Paperback

Published April 16, 2024

Reviews

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow (thoughts forthcoming)

[Dhara Taheripour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t stop thinking about Cascade in between when I was able to read it. I wanted to keep reading and find out what was going to happen to the main character/narrator, Lydia. The author deftly builds the world in which the novel takes place, efficiently using the detailed descriptions of the physical world/nature to give insight to Lydia’s interior thoughts and emotions. After a few pages, I was immersed in the environment of the Farallon Islands in which the majority of the novel takes place and also the interpersonal relationships between Lydia and the other characters. To call them characters actually does not feel right because they were all so humanized and real. Credit to the author for accomplishing in their novel what many books fail to do in 10x the amount of pages - the empathy I feel towards Lydia is very real, and I look forward to re-reading this book again soon.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An immersive book that puts you onto a boat hitting waves in the open ocean, in the top bunk and the complex dynamics of field work. Julia Hannafin weaves a layered story with each character portrayed with love and compassion even as I was sometimes saying No No No. I read this book in 2 sittings. A gripping read.

It was also fun to peek into one of those Berkeley homes on Uber-steep Marin Avenue. I could smell the Eucalyptus trees in the back.

Looking forward to a sequel.

[madison winkes-cantrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

nims island for girlies w daddy issues



i was surprised by this one and really enjoyed it! at first it felt a little too YA for me tbh but the complexity of lydia’s character really turned it around

[Nick Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honorable, satisfying, tempting. What a beginning. I felt revisited while reading this. It bites then makes room for you to sit. Fantastic

[Sara Shocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

really evocative descriptions of the Farallon Islands + really nuanced portrayal of grief

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Felt like I was at the Farallon islands with Lydia, incredibly descriptive and sincere novel.