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Northward Dreams
From acclaimed author Craig Lancaster, a two-time High Plains Book Award winner, comes a story of family violence, dysfunction, and, perhaps, redemption, told across four timelines.
More than a decade into the 21st century, Nate Ray is down and in the final throes before he's out for good. He has burned through jobs and the goodwill of others, including his son, Brandon. When Nate's dad, Ronnie, summons him for a trip from Texas to Montana to bury Ronnie's sister, Nate's self-destruction is put on hold but new and long-simmering issues arise.
Forty years earlier, in Wyoming, Electra Ray plots an escape to an uncertain future, for herself and her five-year-old son. A new friend awaits on the other end, three states away, but first Electra must break cleanly away from the bonds of a neglectful present.
In 2002, recent high school graduate Cherie Bowden is helping her mother settle her grandma's estate in Billings, Montana, and is already deferring her own dreams. She discovers information that makes her question everything she thinks she knows about the people she comes from.
And in early 1950s Montana, Ronnie Ray-sixteen years old, estranged from the father he barely knows, and on the run from an abusive home life-reaches faithfully toward a connection.
In his latest novel, Lancaster, who has been hailed as "one of Montana's most important writers," goes deep into how history shapes and confines us and how hope sometimes stubbornly abides.
More than a decade into the 21st century, Nate Ray is down and in the final throes before he's out for good. He has burned through jobs and the goodwill of others, including his son, Brandon. When Nate's dad, Ronnie, summons him for a trip from Texas to Montana to bury Ronnie's sister, Nate's self-destruction is put on hold but new and long-simmering issues arise.
Forty years earlier, in Wyoming, Electra Ray plots an escape to an uncertain future, for herself and her five-year-old son. A new friend awaits on the other end, three states away, but first Electra must break cleanly away from the bonds of a neglectful present.
In 2002, recent high school graduate Cherie Bowden is helping her mother settle her grandma's estate in Billings, Montana, and is already deferring her own dreams. She discovers information that makes her question everything she thinks she knows about the people she comes from.
And in early 1950s Montana, Ronnie Ray-sixteen years old, estranged from the father he barely knows, and on the run from an abusive home life-reaches faithfully toward a connection.
In his latest novel, Lancaster, who has been hailed as "one of Montana's most important writers," goes deep into how history shapes and confines us and how hope sometimes stubbornly abides.
315 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2024
6 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Craig Lancaster
29 books427 followersWhen Craig Lancaster moved to Montana in 2006, at the age of 36, it was the realization of a dream he’d harbored since childhood, one that he figured had been overtaken by events, as so many dreams are.
“I have these incredibly vivid memories of visiting Montana with my folks on family vacations, and following my dad, an itinerant laborer who worked in the oil and gas fields of the West when I was a kid,” Lancaster says. “It was such a vast, beautiful, overwhelming place. From the first time I saw Montana, I wanted to be a part of it.”
Craig was born on February 9th, 1970, in Lakewood, Washington. Adopted at birth, he grew up in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, with his mother and stepfather and siblings. His stepfather, Charles Clines, was a longtime sportswriter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a connection that led to Craig’s career as a journalist, a profession he followed to a series of newspaper jobs across the country — Texas, Alaska, Kentucky, Ohio, Washington, California and, finally, Montana.
A couple of years after Craig’s arrival in the Big Sky State, he began chasing another long-held dream: that of writing novels. His first completed novel, 600 Hours of Edward, was born in the crucible of National Novel Writing Month, that every-November free-for-all of furious writing. He completed an entire first draft, nearly 80,000 words, in November 2008. In October 2009, it was published by Riverbend Publishing of Helena, Montana, and has since gone on to be selected as a Montana Honor Book and a High Plains Book Award winner.
His follow-up, The Summer Son, was released in January 2011 by AmazonEncore, to similar acclaim. Booklist called the new novel “a classic western tale of rough lives and gruff, dangerous men, of innocence betrayed and long, stumbling journeys to love.”
Lancaster’s work delves deeply below the surface of its characters, teasing out the desires and motivations that lead us through our lives.
“It’s all too easy to turn people into caricatures, but the truth is, we humans are pretty damned fascinating,” he says. “For me, fiction is a way at getting at truth. I use it to examine the world around me, the things that disturb me, the questions I have about life — whether my own or someone else’s. My hope is that someone reading my work will have their own emotional experience and bring their own thoughts to what they read on the page. When I’m asked what my stories mean, my inclination is turn the question around: What do they mean to you?”
“I have these incredibly vivid memories of visiting Montana with my folks on family vacations, and following my dad, an itinerant laborer who worked in the oil and gas fields of the West when I was a kid,” Lancaster says. “It was such a vast, beautiful, overwhelming place. From the first time I saw Montana, I wanted to be a part of it.”
Craig was born on February 9th, 1970, in Lakewood, Washington. Adopted at birth, he grew up in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, with his mother and stepfather and siblings. His stepfather, Charles Clines, was a longtime sportswriter at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, a connection that led to Craig’s career as a journalist, a profession he followed to a series of newspaper jobs across the country — Texas, Alaska, Kentucky, Ohio, Washington, California and, finally, Montana.
A couple of years after Craig’s arrival in the Big Sky State, he began chasing another long-held dream: that of writing novels. His first completed novel, 600 Hours of Edward, was born in the crucible of National Novel Writing Month, that every-November free-for-all of furious writing. He completed an entire first draft, nearly 80,000 words, in November 2008. In October 2009, it was published by Riverbend Publishing of Helena, Montana, and has since gone on to be selected as a Montana Honor Book and a High Plains Book Award winner.
His follow-up, The Summer Son, was released in January 2011 by AmazonEncore, to similar acclaim. Booklist called the new novel “a classic western tale of rough lives and gruff, dangerous men, of innocence betrayed and long, stumbling journeys to love.”
Lancaster’s work delves deeply below the surface of its characters, teasing out the desires and motivations that lead us through our lives.
“It’s all too easy to turn people into caricatures, but the truth is, we humans are pretty damned fascinating,” he says. “For me, fiction is a way at getting at truth. I use it to examine the world around me, the things that disturb me, the questions I have about life — whether my own or someone else’s. My hope is that someone reading my work will have their own emotional experience and bring their own thoughts to what they read on the page. When I’m asked what my stories mean, my inclination is turn the question around: What do they mean to you?”
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 20, 2024
3.5*
This is a book that takes place in multiple timelines with different characters in each one and it took me a while to get into the flow but once I did, the story moved along nicely.
It begins in 2012 with Nate Ray, down on his luck and estranged from everyone including his son, agreeing to take his father Ronnie to Montana to bury Ronnie's sister. A decade ago in 2002, mother and daughter Anna and Cherie are on a road trip too as Anna's mother Opal has died. Cherie struggles between her love for her mother and her frustration at her mother's inability to give up her drinking which is affecting Cherie's plans for her future. Then we go back years to 1972 when Electra, Ronnie's wife, makes a decision to leave him and take their son with her. We also see Ronnie as a young boy in 1952, fleeing a violent home. As we learn more about each of these people, their stories come together in an interesting way.
In many ways this is a story of a dysfunctional family coming to terms with their past and learning how to move on, discovering the secrets they didn't know and reconciling with each other. In that way, it's very much a character based story that has its moments of bonding. I liked the way different relationships were portrayed.
At first, the number of people and timelines swamped me especially as there are smaller interludes written in the second person perspective as well. As I read more, I enjoyed putting together everything.
This is a book that takes place in multiple timelines with different characters in each one and it took me a while to get into the flow but once I did, the story moved along nicely.
It begins in 2012 with Nate Ray, down on his luck and estranged from everyone including his son, agreeing to take his father Ronnie to Montana to bury Ronnie's sister. A decade ago in 2002, mother and daughter Anna and Cherie are on a road trip too as Anna's mother Opal has died. Cherie struggles between her love for her mother and her frustration at her mother's inability to give up her drinking which is affecting Cherie's plans for her future. Then we go back years to 1972 when Electra, Ronnie's wife, makes a decision to leave him and take their son with her. We also see Ronnie as a young boy in 1952, fleeing a violent home. As we learn more about each of these people, their stories come together in an interesting way.
In many ways this is a story of a dysfunctional family coming to terms with their past and learning how to move on, discovering the secrets they didn't know and reconciling with each other. In that way, it's very much a character based story that has its moments of bonding. I liked the way different relationships were portrayed.
At first, the number of people and timelines swamped me especially as there are smaller interludes written in the second person perspective as well. As I read more, I enjoyed putting together everything.
July 25, 2024
At first this seems like 4 separate stories, but little by little the stories start to intertwine and eventually become one. Totally worth the wait. No one can develop characters quite like Craig Lancaster. On the surface, they appear simple. But, as the layers are peeled away, their complexities are revealed. There is pain and healing, lies and truth, disappointment and surprises, disconnection and connection. You’ll get to know each of the characters and quickly get invested in this sad and yet heartwarming story.
July 3, 2023
This is a good solid read that I thoroughly enjoyed. It spans decades and generations and delivers stories of growing up, and the dysfunction that surrounds that.
We start in the present with Nate Ray who is so down on his luck it has all but run out on him. His relationship with his son, Brandon, himself soon to be a father, is strained. The one with his own father, Ronnie, likewise but, when summoned by him to help after the death of his sister, Nate's aunt, he has no choice to agree. Make or break time, maybe... nothing to lose anyway...
We then switch focus to Electra Ray who is planning to leave her husband. Seeking out a better and safer life for her and her son. She has a plan, a place to go, a person to be with, she just has to get there.
And then there's Cherie and her mother who are packing up Cherie's grandmother's estate. She discovers papers that both interests and intrigues her and which require further investigation, so she enlists her father to help.
It's all interconnected and convoluted and beautiful. I really can't do it all justice in a review. I haven't the words. It's horrid and wonderful all at the same time. Nature and nurture shaping people's lives. Determination born of necessity. How the past, recent and long ago, leads the present. And it's emotional. All the feels had me rooting for various people most of the time. Spoilers prevent me from going into detail.
It jumps around in time and flits between first, third and - interestingly enough - second person. That took a bit of getting used to. But it was always obvious when we were and who we were with. Even given that we follow several people in multiple timelines. It was always easy to follow and that's usually not always easy for me. The skill of the author I guess!
And the characters, as always for this author, are all so well described. So easy to connect with - both positive and negative.
And the story gets on with itself very well indeed with no waffle or padding. The settings are described in accordance with complementing and progressing the narrative. But it is integral at times and could also be a character in its own rights as it is influential.
All in all, another winner from one of my go to authors. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
We start in the present with Nate Ray who is so down on his luck it has all but run out on him. His relationship with his son, Brandon, himself soon to be a father, is strained. The one with his own father, Ronnie, likewise but, when summoned by him to help after the death of his sister, Nate's aunt, he has no choice to agree. Make or break time, maybe... nothing to lose anyway...
We then switch focus to Electra Ray who is planning to leave her husband. Seeking out a better and safer life for her and her son. She has a plan, a place to go, a person to be with, she just has to get there.
And then there's Cherie and her mother who are packing up Cherie's grandmother's estate. She discovers papers that both interests and intrigues her and which require further investigation, so she enlists her father to help.
It's all interconnected and convoluted and beautiful. I really can't do it all justice in a review. I haven't the words. It's horrid and wonderful all at the same time. Nature and nurture shaping people's lives. Determination born of necessity. How the past, recent and long ago, leads the present. And it's emotional. All the feels had me rooting for various people most of the time. Spoilers prevent me from going into detail.
It jumps around in time and flits between first, third and - interestingly enough - second person. That took a bit of getting used to. But it was always obvious when we were and who we were with. Even given that we follow several people in multiple timelines. It was always easy to follow and that's usually not always easy for me. The skill of the author I guess!
And the characters, as always for this author, are all so well described. So easy to connect with - both positive and negative.
And the story gets on with itself very well indeed with no waffle or padding. The settings are described in accordance with complementing and progressing the narrative. But it is integral at times and could also be a character in its own rights as it is influential.
All in all, another winner from one of my go to authors. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
November 5, 2024
Craig Lancaster is not a writer that you can read with one eye open. From the lyrical style of writing, to the complexity of his characters, Lancaster's Northward Dreams makes asks the reader to be present for every detail--and when not adding in the character details, to enjoy the language and his obvious love of it--even as it sometimes carries the narrative away.
This book is a wonderful exploration of family dynamics. For me, it was especially reflective of the trauma and often violence that accompanies families in rural places, much like the Montana, Wyoming, and Texas towns of the book. There is something about being underprivileged, underpaid, and male in these states that often leads to alcoholism and violence, and Lancaster explores this. This is also a story about fathers. Both those who try and those who neglect. How we build families and how they are sustained, and how the sins of the father are carried out by the next generation is explored and validated.
There were several quotable passages throughout the book, but the one that spoke loudest to me. It comes near the end, but don't worry, it won't "ruin" the read for you to read it here. ""It's when he says, 'I did what I thought was best' that you leave the pickup and start running, because isn't that just the whole problem bundled-up in a first person excuse? We're all doing what we think is best, but we make our decisions in a vacuum, in a limited view, our own self-interest at the front of the pecking line, and we wonder where all the subsequent damage comes from. It's human vanity, and it's a wrecking ball."
If this book has a thesis statement, a conceit, that is it, that we are both the creators and the destroyers of the beauty of our lives and if fiction can imagine different futures, what I wonder is how we can imagine less wrecking balls, less vanity, and different outcomes. Northward Dreams is asking that question, too.
This book is a wonderful exploration of family dynamics. For me, it was especially reflective of the trauma and often violence that accompanies families in rural places, much like the Montana, Wyoming, and Texas towns of the book. There is something about being underprivileged, underpaid, and male in these states that often leads to alcoholism and violence, and Lancaster explores this. This is also a story about fathers. Both those who try and those who neglect. How we build families and how they are sustained, and how the sins of the father are carried out by the next generation is explored and validated.
There were several quotable passages throughout the book, but the one that spoke loudest to me. It comes near the end, but don't worry, it won't "ruin" the read for you to read it here. ""It's when he says, 'I did what I thought was best' that you leave the pickup and start running, because isn't that just the whole problem bundled-up in a first person excuse? We're all doing what we think is best, but we make our decisions in a vacuum, in a limited view, our own self-interest at the front of the pecking line, and we wonder where all the subsequent damage comes from. It's human vanity, and it's a wrecking ball."
If this book has a thesis statement, a conceit, that is it, that we are both the creators and the destroyers of the beauty of our lives and if fiction can imagine different futures, what I wonder is how we can imagine less wrecking balls, less vanity, and different outcomes. Northward Dreams is asking that question, too.
February 20, 2024
This author has the extraordinary gift of making you feel you're sitting with him, shooting the breeze, having a beer and he's telling you the story. What a gift to have.
This is a story of family violence, dysfunction, and, perhaps, redemption, told across four timelines.
The story begins with Nate Ray, he's living in a run down trailer, drinking way too much and doesn't have the best relationship with his son or his dad. He receives a call from his elderly dad, Ronnie, asking him to take him to Montana. From here we are told the sad tale of Ronnie's upbringing and we meet his family and other people from his childhood, good and bad. Each chapter takes us on a journey of each family member and their lives over the years.
I was totally immersed in the story from the first page and found it difficult to put down. It's one of those books you read well into the night and go back to it as soon as you wake up.
Yet another heartfelt, beautifully written book by this very talented writer. Huge 5 stars.
This is a story of family violence, dysfunction, and, perhaps, redemption, told across four timelines.
The story begins with Nate Ray, he's living in a run down trailer, drinking way too much and doesn't have the best relationship with his son or his dad. He receives a call from his elderly dad, Ronnie, asking him to take him to Montana. From here we are told the sad tale of Ronnie's upbringing and we meet his family and other people from his childhood, good and bad. Each chapter takes us on a journey of each family member and their lives over the years.
I was totally immersed in the story from the first page and found it difficult to put down. It's one of those books you read well into the night and go back to it as soon as you wake up.
Yet another heartfelt, beautifully written book by this very talented writer. Huge 5 stars.
August 14, 2025
“A sweeping, multi-layered journey through the grit, heartache, and stubborn hope of the American West.”
Northward Dreams isn’t just a novel, it’s a time machine that moves through decades, weaving together four timelines with a kind of quiet precision that sneaks up on you. Craig Lancaster brings Montana, Wyoming, and the wide open spaces of the West to life in a way that’s not just visual, but emotional.
The characters, whether it’s Nate on the edge of losing everything, Electra plotting her escape, Cherie uncovering buried truths, or a teenage Ronnie reaching for connection, feel like they’ve lived long before we meet them, and will keep living long after we close the book.
This isn’t a quick, flashy read, it’s the kind of story that sticks under your skin, makes you wrestle with questions about family, redemption, and the weight of the past. And that ending? Quietly devastating, but in the best way.
If you’re looking for a book that offers not just a story, but an experience, this is one you’ll remember long after the last page.
Northward Dreams isn’t just a novel, it’s a time machine that moves through decades, weaving together four timelines with a kind of quiet precision that sneaks up on you. Craig Lancaster brings Montana, Wyoming, and the wide open spaces of the West to life in a way that’s not just visual, but emotional.
The characters, whether it’s Nate on the edge of losing everything, Electra plotting her escape, Cherie uncovering buried truths, or a teenage Ronnie reaching for connection, feel like they’ve lived long before we meet them, and will keep living long after we close the book.
This isn’t a quick, flashy read, it’s the kind of story that sticks under your skin, makes you wrestle with questions about family, redemption, and the weight of the past. And that ending? Quietly devastating, but in the best way.
If you’re looking for a book that offers not just a story, but an experience, this is one you’ll remember long after the last page.
June 28, 2023
I adore Craig Lancaster’s writing, and have been a huge fan ever since reading his Edward books (if you haven’t read them, do! Start with 600 Hours of Edward). He has a wonderfully lyrical style, that’s almost poetic. And he gets ordinary people. Even better, he puts them on the pages of his books in ways that are simply extraordinary. Dreaming Northward is no exception. It’s a journey into the lives of a family that’s had its share of abuse, pain, dysfunction, love and hope. I really enjoyed all the different threads of the story, but I must admit I found I really had to concentrate as the story does jump around a lot - across characters, settings and eras. And the author also plays with points of view, using the unusual second person for some chapters, which I also found a little confusing. Perhaps reading it a few chapters at a time, often in bed after a glass of wine, wasn’t the best idea! 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.
March 15, 2024
I got muddled up so forgot about this ARC of Dreaming Northward by Craig Lancaster. I'm only a few chapters in so far, getting to know Nate and his family setup. The timeline bounces from modern day to the 70's when he was a child and looks at his relationships. As a child he's described as "perspicacious" which (after a Google) meant that he was insightful. This quality doesn't seem to translate to his adult life but I'm interested to see how the plot develops.
I will add to this review as I move through the book :)
Edited to add: DNF I couldn't get through this. Too many characters, don't care about any of them. Too many different times, places and people and can't pick out a single thread. Life is too short to keep reading something I'm not enjoying. ⭐ At a push.
I will add to this review as I move through the book :)
Edited to add: DNF I couldn't get through this. Too many characters, don't care about any of them. Too many different times, places and people and can't pick out a single thread. Life is too short to keep reading something I'm not enjoying. ⭐ At a push.
March 3, 2024
I was so excited to read this as I am a massive fan of Craig Lancaster. Unfortunately, for me this wasn’t one of his best. I found it way too confusing as it had a huge cast and switched around between the timelines. Maybe a key at the beginning would have helped.
There are 4 different timelines, with 4 sets of people, and then near the end you see how all the people weave together very cleverly and it all makes sense.
I really enjoy his writing style, and enjoyed the individual stories, I just found it a little confusing to keep in my head who was who so 3.5 stars for me, rounded up to 4.
There are 4 different timelines, with 4 sets of people, and then near the end you see how all the people weave together very cleverly and it all makes sense.
I really enjoy his writing style, and enjoyed the individual stories, I just found it a little confusing to keep in my head who was who so 3.5 stars for me, rounded up to 4.
March 4, 2024
A multi timeline dysfunctional family drama spanning from the 1950s through until 2012. I enjoyed this book but did find it confusing at times - I had to make notes! It’s quite the puzzle and it’s not until the end when all the dots join up that the final piece of the jigsaw drops into place. There are a great cast of characters, however, who are clearly defined with their own individual personalities, making it easy to identify them. It’s quite a sad story in some respects but it flows along nicely and ends on a hopeful note. It’s about how the past affects the future and how those concerned deal and come to terms with it. An engaging and worthwhile read.
July 3, 2023
It is always a pleasure to read Craig Lancaster’s books. I enjoyed all the characters, but this one was sort of choppy. Having split timelines with different narrators is the norm these days. This book has that but it really got confusing with Cherie having her own split timeline amongst all the others.
However! The story is absolutely there and very readable. His characters are so very human and are portrayed in a relatable way. It all ties together and I’m glad I got it in hard cover, as I will definitely read it again.
However! The story is absolutely there and very readable. His characters are so very human and are portrayed in a relatable way. It all ties together and I’m glad I got it in hard cover, as I will definitely read it again.
March 12, 2024
Craig Lancaster is an author who has the ability to create interesting characters who, though often very flawed, have the ability to engage and move you. This is another interesting and challenging read that addresses some incredibly tough issues; alcoholism and abuse are addressed as the novel twists and turns back and forth over several generations. It isn’t always easy to hold all the characters and their timelines in your head but as the story progresses the threads gradually get twisted together in a way that I found gave an ultimately, hopeful ending that I found satisfying. It isn’t always an easy read but I will keep returning to Lancaster’s work as I find he manages to create believable, interesting and rounded characters that make me think!
July 25, 2024
Craig Lancaster's NORTHWARD DREAMS cuts to the bone of the collective human struggle: our mistakes, our hopes, and most significantly, our resilience. In a narrative spanning multiple timelines, Nathan Ray, his father, Ronnie, and those who populate their world, have lifetimes worth of dysfunction to overcome. That each of these characters is exceptionally well-drawn is a tribute to Lancaster's fine storytelling skills. He has written a novel that makes us think about who we are as people, and feel the ways in which we can improve our track record. Bravo.
March 11, 2024
This is a new author for me wasn't sure at the beginning if I would read another by him. It was hard to keep up with and I got easily confused.
It jumps around alot through different generations and time zones. There are three different stories all going off in different directions it's only when you get into it you realise they are all connected and it starts to make sense. I nearly gave up on it several times but glad I persevered I did enjoy it but found it hard at times.
March 10, 2024
I’ve read previous books by Craig Lancaster so was keen to read this, it didn’t disappoint.
This is an in depth story, looking at characters at different times in their lives. I found it fairly easy to follow.
The story flowed well it made for an enjoyable read.
This is an in depth story, looking at characters at different times in their lives. I found it fairly easy to follow.
The story flowed well it made for an enjoyable read.
April 10, 2024
Bias alert - Craig is a friend, former colleague, all that. That said, he continues to produce great books. Read this one. He creates interesting characters in every book of his I've read. Some you like. Some you don't. But never dull.
August 3, 2024
I love reading books that were written by Craig Lancaster. This book was a little challenging to me to get through because I could not follow the flow of the timeline for a while. Once I really focused on the story, it captivated me and I could not put it down.
March 29, 2024
Wonderfully written family story - the first book by this author that I have read and it won’t be my last. This book jumps around, the characters are vivid and it reads like an audio book.
November 21, 2024
I have loved Craig Lancaster's books in the past, but couldn't connect with this one. I think the structure was a barrier. He's still one of my favorite writers, but this was just a misfire for me.
April 13, 2025
Great multi-generational telling of a very messed up family. I enjoy his writing very much. The ending was a bit abrupt for me. But I’d still recommend the book.
May 5, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
March 31, 2024
I was so excited to read this as I am a massive fan of Craig Lancaster. Unfortunately, for me this wasn’t one of his best. I found it way too confusing as it had a huge cast and switched around between the timelines. Maybe a key at the beginning would have helped.
There are 4 different timelines, with 4 sets of people, and then near the end you see how all the people weave together very cleverly and it all makes sense.
I really enjoy his writing style, and enjoyed the individual stories, I just found it a little confusing to keep in my head who was who so 3.5 stars for me, rounded up to 4.
There are 4 different timelines, with 4 sets of people, and then near the end you see how all the people weave together very cleverly and it all makes sense.
I really enjoy his writing style, and enjoyed the individual stories, I just found it a little confusing to keep in my head who was who so 3.5 stars for me, rounded up to 4.
March 30, 2024
A multi timeline dysfunctional family drama spanning from the 1950s through until 2012. I enjoyed this book but did find it confusing at times - I had to make notes! It’s quite the puzzle and it’s not until the end when all the dots join up that the final piece of the jigsaw drops into place. There are a great cast of characters, however, who are clearly defined with their own individual personalities, making it easy to identify them. It’s quite a sad story in some respects but it flows along nicely and ends on a hopeful note. It’s about how the past affects the future and how those concerned deal and come to terms with it. An engaging and worthwhile read.
March 30, 2024
A really interesting, raw and honest story told over different timelines, generations of a family and their lives, mistakes and the consequences of their actions on each other. Fathers and sons, heart breaking events. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
August 3, 2024
I love Craig Lancaster's books, I've read several and they were all beautifully written. So I was happy to see that he had a new one out. This is another example of his wonderfully character-driven stories. I was listening to this on audio, so it took a bit of extra time to get the different characters (and timelines) settled in my mind. But once I did I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them, even when they weren't so likeable. And of course Lancaster did an excellent job of getting all the storylines tied together into a cohesive whole. It could easily have become a book full of stereotypes, but the characters and their dialogue all felt "real" throughout. As mentioned, I listened to the audiobook and the narration by Kath Crumrine was excellent. It's a book that's both heartbreaking and, ultimately, hopeful, and now I again find myself looking forward to Craig Lancaster's next book.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews