All That's Left

by Lisa Guenther

Darby Swank’s entire life changed when her Aunt Bea was murdered in their rural Saskatchewan community. Now in college, Darby tentatively develops new friendships and connections, including her charismatic cousin Brynny, a young woman who leads an exciting and inclusive church in rural Alberta. After landing a sought-after gig with an established Toronto band, Darby begins to make a name for herself on the Canadian music scene. Yet she remains haunted by the violence in her past—especially as fame and its trappings force Darby to confront what matters most.

 

By turns lyrical and brutal, All That's Left is a novel that demands to be read.

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 1, 2024

Reviews

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer- I read this book in draft form.

"All that's left" is an intriguing story about a young woman coming into herself. Darby Swank is from small town Saskatchewan and she is reeling after her aunt's murder. Through a series of circumstances, she ends up getting involved with a number of different bands, and has a very successful musical career. The underarching theme of the book is violence against women, and how easily things can get out of control.

Darby Swank is a great character, and I loved reading about her exploits as a travelling musician. I felt that Lisa really got the details right.

[Maggie Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

very disjointed the second section didn't fit with the rest of the story. If it wasn't a book club read I would have stopped reading after all the unneeded info on guitars. felt too much extraneous filler to lengthen the book.

[G.A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much trauma dilutes a potentially great story into a mishmash of thematically related violences, rendering the story and its characters into a blur of irrelevance.