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In Her Wake
A perfect life … until she discovered it wasn’t her own
A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella’s comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but also her life. Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family – and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.
A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella’s comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but also her life. Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family – and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.
431 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2016
158 people are currently reading
4366 people want to read
About the author
Amanda Jennings
13 books270 followersAmanda is mother to three daughters and lives in chaotic contentment just outside Henley-on-Thames with a houseful of pets and a husband. She is the author of five books, Sworn Secret, The Judas Scar, In Her Wake, The Cliff House and The Storm which is coming out in July 2020. She is currently working on her sixth novel. A psychological thriller set on the wilds of Bodmin Moor, in Cornwall. If she isn't by the sea then she would like to be.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 325 reviews
February 7, 2017
Once again, Orenda has published a novel that is too complex and significant to confine into a single genre. While this is partly a mysterious psychological thriller, it's just as much an emotional rollercoaster of feelings and deep thematic elements. <---(Lot's of vagueness as to not spoil all of the things.) I love opening a book from Karen; I never know exactly what I'm going to get except I know that it'll be great. In Her Wake was no different; it was heavy and thorough while containing messy, flawed characters in an unappealing scenario. In short- a read you simply can't put down.
If you are looking for a dime a dozen psychological thriller that is fast paced and cliche, this isn't the book for you. This was a wholly unique read that requires patience from the reader as a slow sense of dread and horror begins building in your gut. The POV jumps around between past and present, which made for an interesting unfolding to the journey; this kept things fresh and held my attention from beginning to end. In fact, I almost wouldn't categorize this as a psychological thriller; while it has some aspects of one, it is so much more as it contains the depth and emotion most people seek in literary fiction. There is a high quality to the writing style and even with the time hopping, I found there to be a seamless flow to the plot and dialogue.
Go into this one as blind as possible. If you're anything like me, you'll appreciate being led along with no prior notions as to what to expect and will appreciate the wrap up of things not being perfectly tidy and neat (don't worry, there is plenty of closure). I adore the cover and think it conveys the feel of the story perfectly. This is a heavy and somewhat disturbing story that will leave you feeling a wide array of emotions after turning the last page. I'd highly recommend to readers looking for something to spice up their choices, as there is really nothing like it out there.
*Many thanks to Karen at Orenda for gifting me my copy; it was a delight and privilege to review it on my blog!
If you are looking for a dime a dozen psychological thriller that is fast paced and cliche, this isn't the book for you. This was a wholly unique read that requires patience from the reader as a slow sense of dread and horror begins building in your gut. The POV jumps around between past and present, which made for an interesting unfolding to the journey; this kept things fresh and held my attention from beginning to end. In fact, I almost wouldn't categorize this as a psychological thriller; while it has some aspects of one, it is so much more as it contains the depth and emotion most people seek in literary fiction. There is a high quality to the writing style and even with the time hopping, I found there to be a seamless flow to the plot and dialogue.
Go into this one as blind as possible. If you're anything like me, you'll appreciate being led along with no prior notions as to what to expect and will appreciate the wrap up of things not being perfectly tidy and neat (don't worry, there is plenty of closure). I adore the cover and think it conveys the feel of the story perfectly. This is a heavy and somewhat disturbing story that will leave you feeling a wide array of emotions after turning the last page. I'd highly recommend to readers looking for something to spice up their choices, as there is really nothing like it out there.
*Many thanks to Karen at Orenda for gifting me my copy; it was a delight and privilege to review it on my blog!
July 6, 2018
"In Her Wake" written by Amanda Jennings is one brilliantly, mesmerising and compelling book that left me in quite a daze if not speechless once I'd finished. I truly wanted this story to last forever and savoured every word on every page. Such beautiful, beautiful writing with wonderfully well developed characters even though they were often damaged. Sublime, creative and at times fabulously emotive narrative and dialogue rounded off this unique and moving book. This story is just so full of feeling and emotion and slow burning suspense that one minute I was smiling the next I was full of tears as the story continued to unfold page by page.
'A perfect life … until she discovered it wasn’t her own. A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella’s comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but also her life.'
Living by the coast myself, I imagined every scene at Cornwall with such clarity to a point I could hear the waves and smell the salt air. The last few chapters sent shivers down my spine and I totally refused to stop reading until it was completely finished.
There's so much I want to talk about but can't as it would spoil it for those who haven't read it yet but I will say this book MUST be read, its divine, gripping and contains many genres to keep a whole audience of readers happy and fully immersed - crime, psychological, family drama etc - all of which combine to make "In Her Wake" an unputdownable book which will stay with me for a VERY long time. Loved, loved it and loved it some more and I highly recommend, it's one of those atmospheric books you will feel so much better for reading. Amanda Jennings you are a star writer and I am now your number one fan!
5 stars and then some!!!
'A perfect life … until she discovered it wasn’t her own. A tragic family event reveals devastating news that rips apart Bella’s comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but also her life.'
Living by the coast myself, I imagined every scene at Cornwall with such clarity to a point I could hear the waves and smell the salt air. The last few chapters sent shivers down my spine and I totally refused to stop reading until it was completely finished.
There's so much I want to talk about but can't as it would spoil it for those who haven't read it yet but I will say this book MUST be read, its divine, gripping and contains many genres to keep a whole audience of readers happy and fully immersed - crime, psychological, family drama etc - all of which combine to make "In Her Wake" an unputdownable book which will stay with me for a VERY long time. Loved, loved it and loved it some more and I highly recommend, it's one of those atmospheric books you will feel so much better for reading. Amanda Jennings you are a star writer and I am now your number one fan!
5 stars and then some!!!
May 7, 2017
The most beautifully, hauntingly written, depressing piece of work I've read in a long time.
If you're looking for a suspenseful mystery, this is not for you. This is a slow, slow burn. Very atmospheric and beautiful in its prose - it fully immerses you in the story. It almost feels like a disturbing coming of age story.
5-star writing. The story was just too much for me. Too many highly flawed, psychologically damaged characters in one place to the point that it didn't seem believable.
And now, I'm going to have to go read something light and funny to lighten the mood!
If you're looking for a suspenseful mystery, this is not for you. This is a slow, slow burn. Very atmospheric and beautiful in its prose - it fully immerses you in the story. It almost feels like a disturbing coming of age story.
5-star writing. The story was just too much for me. Too many highly flawed, psychologically damaged characters in one place to the point that it didn't seem believable.
And now, I'm going to have to go read something light and funny to lighten the mood!
August 21, 2023
I’ve loved some Amanda Jennings books previously, but I felt this one was bang average. I mean it's good, she has just set the bar so high with some of her others titles.
Good story line, I didn’t overly like any of the characters, they came across a bit bland and the ending felt a bit rushed and didn’t tie up very well.
Three stars.
Good story line, I didn’t overly like any of the characters, they came across a bit bland and the ending felt a bit rushed and didn’t tie up very well.
Three stars.
November 12, 2020
Which is the worst punishment? Living with guilt or living with hate? Both can poison a person from the inside out. Both can ravage the soul…
Henry Campbell, doctor, beset by guilt and walking on eggshells around his neurotically unstable wife, Elaine. Together they live in Oxfordshire, in the ‘Old Vicarage’ with their ‘daughter’ Bella. A house safe from the outside world, with roses around the triple-bolted door.
Bella has had a very different life. She is home schooled and has no friends (except her imaginary friend Tori). Her parents dote on her and she always feels loved, even cherished – though a little smothered… Then when she grows up she finally leaves the nest to go to university. There she meets and marries David, one of her college teachers, who is nineteen years her senior. He too seems to want to be over-protective and controlling.
When she receives word that her mother Elaine has died of a heart-attack she is shocked and understandably distraught. Then, when another family tragedy follows swiftly after her mother’s funeral, she is shocked beyond measure. Her very identity is called into question.
She escapes her controlling and confining husband David and boards a train for magical Cornwall, where she hopes to find some answers to her life altering questions. She arrives in St. Ives with a feeling that she has been there before… A deep-seated hiraeth.
There she finds that her real name in Morveren – she was named after a mermaid of Celtic legend. She is the daughter of Alice and Mark Tremayne. She has another family, though not one she might have expected, or hoped for… It would seem that the family was decimated twenty-five years ago. Mark is an abusive alcoholic riddled with self-hatred. Alice has retreated into herself. The pain of the real world was just to much for her to bear. And then there is Dawn, the devoted daughter of Alice, and the sister that Bella had always dreamed of having.
A literary thriller, rich with complex characters whom you come to empathize with set in a historical place rife with legend and physical beauty. A novel of regrets, ethical dilemmas, crimes of passion, guilt, and renewed relationships. A story of parents and children (both the good and the bad), dysfunction in its many forms, and ties that bind whether they be made of emotion or blood. A novel that questions “What is the true cost of emotional security?”
I’m certain that “In her wake” will make my ‘favorites of 2016″ list. A compelling read with many plot twists. Very highly recommended!
Heartfelt thanks to Orenda Books for providing me with a digital copy of this novel for review purposes.
Henry Campbell, doctor, beset by guilt and walking on eggshells around his neurotically unstable wife, Elaine. Together they live in Oxfordshire, in the ‘Old Vicarage’ with their ‘daughter’ Bella. A house safe from the outside world, with roses around the triple-bolted door.
Bella has had a very different life. She is home schooled and has no friends (except her imaginary friend Tori). Her parents dote on her and she always feels loved, even cherished – though a little smothered… Then when she grows up she finally leaves the nest to go to university. There she meets and marries David, one of her college teachers, who is nineteen years her senior. He too seems to want to be over-protective and controlling.
When she receives word that her mother Elaine has died of a heart-attack she is shocked and understandably distraught. Then, when another family tragedy follows swiftly after her mother’s funeral, she is shocked beyond measure. Her very identity is called into question.
She escapes her controlling and confining husband David and boards a train for magical Cornwall, where she hopes to find some answers to her life altering questions. She arrives in St. Ives with a feeling that she has been there before… A deep-seated hiraeth.
There she finds that her real name in Morveren – she was named after a mermaid of Celtic legend. She is the daughter of Alice and Mark Tremayne. She has another family, though not one she might have expected, or hoped for… It would seem that the family was decimated twenty-five years ago. Mark is an abusive alcoholic riddled with self-hatred. Alice has retreated into herself. The pain of the real world was just to much for her to bear. And then there is Dawn, the devoted daughter of Alice, and the sister that Bella had always dreamed of having.
A literary thriller, rich with complex characters whom you come to empathize with set in a historical place rife with legend and physical beauty. A novel of regrets, ethical dilemmas, crimes of passion, guilt, and renewed relationships. A story of parents and children (both the good and the bad), dysfunction in its many forms, and ties that bind whether they be made of emotion or blood. A novel that questions “What is the true cost of emotional security?”
I’m certain that “In her wake” will make my ‘favorites of 2016″ list. A compelling read with many plot twists. Very highly recommended!
Heartfelt thanks to Orenda Books for providing me with a digital copy of this novel for review purposes.
February 7, 2017
All of my reviews can be found on www.novelgossip.com
At this point I think I just need to go ahead and purchase the entire backlog of Orenda’s catalog as every single book I’ve read from them is stunning in some unique way. I am extremely confident about reading any of their books by this point and if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything published by them, you need to remedy that, stat.
Upon a tragedy in her family, Bella is forced to face some hard truths about things she never dreamed of. She must untangle a very complicated past fraught with secrets and devastating turns. She’s lived a rather sedate life thus far, she’s a librarian and is married to David. Her childhood was claustrophobic, but she was mostly happy and her parents loved her deeply. But every thing she thought she knew was built on a tower of lies, how is she supposed to know who she is if she doesn’t even know who she was? The truth is heartbreaking and painful and totally unexpected.
Jennings is a beautiful storyteller, there is a quiet intensity from the very first page that never changes throughout the book. The majority is set in Cornwall and her prose is beautiful, haunting and rich. It’s one of those books that sucks you in slowly, pulling you in deeper the further you get. As Bella embarks on this journey of self discovery I felt like I was being gently prodded along with her, it was a really spellbinding experience.
It’s not your typical psychological thriller, I’m hesitant to even label it that way as it’s full of depth and doesn’t have that frenetic pacing that many psychological thrillers do. Part of what adds so much to this story is the tremendous growth of not only Bella, but another few characters we meet along the way, namely Dawn and Alice. These women all must overcome so many things, but at it’s core In Her Wake is a story of grief and healing and finding oneself no matter what the cost. It was a truly beautiful thing.
I really would love to discuss this one in depth but I believe that it’s such a fantastic reading experience if you go in blind, so I’ll finish up here and leave you with this; if you want a uniquely haunting, seamlessly plotted, touching and compelling read, look no further.
At this point I think I just need to go ahead and purchase the entire backlog of Orenda’s catalog as every single book I’ve read from them is stunning in some unique way. I am extremely confident about reading any of their books by this point and if you haven’t had the pleasure of reading anything published by them, you need to remedy that, stat.
Upon a tragedy in her family, Bella is forced to face some hard truths about things she never dreamed of. She must untangle a very complicated past fraught with secrets and devastating turns. She’s lived a rather sedate life thus far, she’s a librarian and is married to David. Her childhood was claustrophobic, but she was mostly happy and her parents loved her deeply. But every thing she thought she knew was built on a tower of lies, how is she supposed to know who she is if she doesn’t even know who she was? The truth is heartbreaking and painful and totally unexpected.
Jennings is a beautiful storyteller, there is a quiet intensity from the very first page that never changes throughout the book. The majority is set in Cornwall and her prose is beautiful, haunting and rich. It’s one of those books that sucks you in slowly, pulling you in deeper the further you get. As Bella embarks on this journey of self discovery I felt like I was being gently prodded along with her, it was a really spellbinding experience.
It’s not your typical psychological thriller, I’m hesitant to even label it that way as it’s full of depth and doesn’t have that frenetic pacing that many psychological thrillers do. Part of what adds so much to this story is the tremendous growth of not only Bella, but another few characters we meet along the way, namely Dawn and Alice. These women all must overcome so many things, but at it’s core In Her Wake is a story of grief and healing and finding oneself no matter what the cost. It was a truly beautiful thing.
I really would love to discuss this one in depth but I believe that it’s such a fantastic reading experience if you go in blind, so I’ll finish up here and leave you with this; if you want a uniquely haunting, seamlessly plotted, touching and compelling read, look no further.
January 17, 2016
Wow. I've just finished reading In Her Wake and have been left ever so slightly speechless. There are several books that are being heralded as "2016's psychological thriller of the year" and I've read these books....In Her Wake blows all of them out of the water. This book is seriously, ridiculously good. As a reader I have been blown away by the quality of the writing. As a writer...I've had a little weep on the inside and wished that I had written it myself.
The plot line is fast-paced without feeling rushed, with characters that the reader can relate to entirely. I loved Bella - her vulnerability and fragility comes across incredibly well, without being annoying or frustrating. It's intriguing to see the way her relationships with her husband, her parents and the new people that she lets into her life develop, and there is an amazing sense of emotion as secrets and lies become uncovered and Bella tries to process everything that is going on around her.
If you add into this mix of characters and emotions all the little bombs dropped in by the author, tiny twists that cause ripples of explosions throughout, you are left with an utterly compelling, completely addictive read that is extremely beautifully written. This, people, is the psychological thriller of 2016.
The plot line is fast-paced without feeling rushed, with characters that the reader can relate to entirely. I loved Bella - her vulnerability and fragility comes across incredibly well, without being annoying or frustrating. It's intriguing to see the way her relationships with her husband, her parents and the new people that she lets into her life develop, and there is an amazing sense of emotion as secrets and lies become uncovered and Bella tries to process everything that is going on around her.
If you add into this mix of characters and emotions all the little bombs dropped in by the author, tiny twists that cause ripples of explosions throughout, you are left with an utterly compelling, completely addictive read that is extremely beautifully written. This, people, is the psychological thriller of 2016.
March 9, 2016
In Her Wake – Breathtaking
Amanda Jennings has written what will be one of the books of the year, In Her Wake is absolutely breathtaking, a psychological thriller that will haunt you. In Her Wake is like an onion, as you peel away each layer it will leave a tear in your eye especially as you get closer to the core. To actually put in to words how deep this book will get hold of you I cannot put in to words and I do not believe I am the only person to say that. This is a book you have to read and tell others about.
The characters have hidden depths and the setting of the book from an Old Vicarage to the craggy coast line of Cornwall and St Ives reflects the book perfectly. The haunting beauty that is Cornwall is perfect setting, with legends of the sea and the coast run deep throughout the book.
Bella is returning to her childhood home with her husband David for the funeral of her mother Elaine, who until she left for university would never allow her out of her sight. Going through her memory of all the times her mother would never let her mix with others and kept her isolated, she still fears the house and its history, but she does not know why.
After the funeral, which was poorly attended, having had no contact with Elaine’s or her father’s extended family, her father wants to tell her something but is unable. Something has deeply affected her father and she can feel that it is something deep. When about to leave for home she searches for her father and eventually finds him in his study with his wrists slit and slumped dead over his desk.
Her father Henry has left her a letter, written on his best paper and it drops a bombshell she was not expecting, that her perfect life was not her own, that she was not really Bella. That she had been taken from a family and smuggled back in to the country from France. The letter tells her where to find her family, in St Ives. She is devastated, she now does not know who she is and that her life to that point has been a lie.
She decides to discover her family that was stolen from her and that means going to St Ives and discovering a life lost. While her controlling her husband, David, thinks she has lost the plot and needs help.
Through Bella’s voice as our narrator we discover the hidden lies, betrayals and some quite traumatic discoveries, with the rugged beauty of St Ives and Cornwall as the back drop. We also enter the mind of Henry Campbell as the story unfolds as Bella begins her discovery of who she really is and what really is her name. At the same time things start making sense to her and explain some of the blanks and some of the queries she has about her life.
In Her Wake helps us to question the nature of family and that some of the most shocking crimes are committed by those closest to us. This really is a gripping psychological thriller that gets hold of you from the beginning and you really do not know how this will end.
All I can say is read this book and you too will be gripped by this stunning and breathtaking book.
Amanda Jennings has written what will be one of the books of the year, In Her Wake is absolutely breathtaking, a psychological thriller that will haunt you. In Her Wake is like an onion, as you peel away each layer it will leave a tear in your eye especially as you get closer to the core. To actually put in to words how deep this book will get hold of you I cannot put in to words and I do not believe I am the only person to say that. This is a book you have to read and tell others about.
The characters have hidden depths and the setting of the book from an Old Vicarage to the craggy coast line of Cornwall and St Ives reflects the book perfectly. The haunting beauty that is Cornwall is perfect setting, with legends of the sea and the coast run deep throughout the book.
Bella is returning to her childhood home with her husband David for the funeral of her mother Elaine, who until she left for university would never allow her out of her sight. Going through her memory of all the times her mother would never let her mix with others and kept her isolated, she still fears the house and its history, but she does not know why.
After the funeral, which was poorly attended, having had no contact with Elaine’s or her father’s extended family, her father wants to tell her something but is unable. Something has deeply affected her father and she can feel that it is something deep. When about to leave for home she searches for her father and eventually finds him in his study with his wrists slit and slumped dead over his desk.
Her father Henry has left her a letter, written on his best paper and it drops a bombshell she was not expecting, that her perfect life was not her own, that she was not really Bella. That she had been taken from a family and smuggled back in to the country from France. The letter tells her where to find her family, in St Ives. She is devastated, she now does not know who she is and that her life to that point has been a lie.
She decides to discover her family that was stolen from her and that means going to St Ives and discovering a life lost. While her controlling her husband, David, thinks she has lost the plot and needs help.
Through Bella’s voice as our narrator we discover the hidden lies, betrayals and some quite traumatic discoveries, with the rugged beauty of St Ives and Cornwall as the back drop. We also enter the mind of Henry Campbell as the story unfolds as Bella begins her discovery of who she really is and what really is her name. At the same time things start making sense to her and explain some of the blanks and some of the queries she has about her life.
In Her Wake helps us to question the nature of family and that some of the most shocking crimes are committed by those closest to us. This really is a gripping psychological thriller that gets hold of you from the beginning and you really do not know how this will end.
All I can say is read this book and you too will be gripped by this stunning and breathtaking book.
December 7, 2016
Original March 2016 review:
It’s weeks since I finished In Her Wake and yet I still cannot find the right words to describe the emotional rollercoaster that this book puts you on.
When we meet Bella, she is travelling back to her family home with her husband due to a family tragedy. What follows is an utterly heartbreaking journey into the deepest corners of her life.
In Her Wake is a beautifully woven tale of loss and grief, but at the same time it instills in the reader a hopefulness, a sense that there is more to the world than what we can see.
Amanda Jennings has written an absolutely beautiful novel. It is the most descriptive book that I’ve read in a long time, with the landscape being used so perfectly that it mimics the turmoil of the characters at certain points, and at others its beauty is showcased to perfection.
I read In Her Wake slowly. I couldn’t have flown through it even if I wanted too. The lyrical prose demands attention and speeding through would have meant missing out on Amanda’s beautiful way with words.
In Her Wake is an emotionally fraught read. Full of secrets, and the damage that these secrets can do to those who keep them as well as those who seek to find the truth. It is a heartrending tale of grief, loss, and above all, love. Emotional, hopeful, chilling and gripping in equal measure, I am still thinking about In Her Wake almost two months on from finishing it…
It’s weeks since I finished In Her Wake and yet I still cannot find the right words to describe the emotional rollercoaster that this book puts you on.
When we meet Bella, she is travelling back to her family home with her husband due to a family tragedy. What follows is an utterly heartbreaking journey into the deepest corners of her life.
In Her Wake is a beautifully woven tale of loss and grief, but at the same time it instills in the reader a hopefulness, a sense that there is more to the world than what we can see.
Amanda Jennings has written an absolutely beautiful novel. It is the most descriptive book that I’ve read in a long time, with the landscape being used so perfectly that it mimics the turmoil of the characters at certain points, and at others its beauty is showcased to perfection.
I read In Her Wake slowly. I couldn’t have flown through it even if I wanted too. The lyrical prose demands attention and speeding through would have meant missing out on Amanda’s beautiful way with words.
In Her Wake is an emotionally fraught read. Full of secrets, and the damage that these secrets can do to those who keep them as well as those who seek to find the truth. It is a heartrending tale of grief, loss, and above all, love. Emotional, hopeful, chilling and gripping in equal measure, I am still thinking about In Her Wake almost two months on from finishing it…
April 10, 2016
In Her Wake is what I call a “Wow” book – you know, those novels you read, that you are fully immersed in, you turn the final page and you just have to sit for a minute going, well, wow..
This is not a fast, furious psychological thriller full of cliche, Amanda Jennings has written a quite gorgeous, considered and beautifully layered tale of one woman discovering her life was not what she thought – we follow her on an extraordinarily moving and emotional journey that explores many themes including family, identity and trust. The characters will all be as real to you as the person standing next to you, the sense of time and place is evocative and highly engaging, a story which once started grips you from the very first sentence until the very last word.
It is actually quite difficult to write a review that gets across exactly how good this is – in truth there are very few books that are quite as good as this one both on the surface and underneath when you go deeper. In Her Wake gave me the kind of reading experience I live for, where the world goes away for those few hours you are in them, where you are emotionally all over the place when you have finished them, when they linger in your mind for days afterwards. These are the ones I throw at everyone and go READ THIS because THIS is what a damn good book looks like.
I’ve always enjoyed Ms Jennings novels, loved them even, but with this book, this time, she joins the ranks of those authors that I talk about automatically when asked for an opinion on who to read – and that list is smaller than you might think. People who know me will know who else is on that list and now you can add Amanda Jennings. In my (humble) opinion “In Her Wake” is a breakout novel, the one that took her out of “very good” and into “Incredible” – proper storytelling, proper storytelling I say, not trying to fit into some kind of market trend but being entirely its own thing. And a wonderful thing it is too.
To sum up, “In Her Wake” is beautifully written, an emotionally stunning story that envelops you into a kind of reading madness as you follow Bella down the rabbit hole. Distinctly descriptive, gorgeous in language and psychologically chilling, this is bound to be one of the standouts of the year.
This is not a fast, furious psychological thriller full of cliche, Amanda Jennings has written a quite gorgeous, considered and beautifully layered tale of one woman discovering her life was not what she thought – we follow her on an extraordinarily moving and emotional journey that explores many themes including family, identity and trust. The characters will all be as real to you as the person standing next to you, the sense of time and place is evocative and highly engaging, a story which once started grips you from the very first sentence until the very last word.
It is actually quite difficult to write a review that gets across exactly how good this is – in truth there are very few books that are quite as good as this one both on the surface and underneath when you go deeper. In Her Wake gave me the kind of reading experience I live for, where the world goes away for those few hours you are in them, where you are emotionally all over the place when you have finished them, when they linger in your mind for days afterwards. These are the ones I throw at everyone and go READ THIS because THIS is what a damn good book looks like.
I’ve always enjoyed Ms Jennings novels, loved them even, but with this book, this time, she joins the ranks of those authors that I talk about automatically when asked for an opinion on who to read – and that list is smaller than you might think. People who know me will know who else is on that list and now you can add Amanda Jennings. In my (humble) opinion “In Her Wake” is a breakout novel, the one that took her out of “very good” and into “Incredible” – proper storytelling, proper storytelling I say, not trying to fit into some kind of market trend but being entirely its own thing. And a wonderful thing it is too.
To sum up, “In Her Wake” is beautifully written, an emotionally stunning story that envelops you into a kind of reading madness as you follow Bella down the rabbit hole. Distinctly descriptive, gorgeous in language and psychologically chilling, this is bound to be one of the standouts of the year.
February 8, 2016
Amanda Jennings doesn't just write good books she is one of those authors who creates characters, brings them to life and gives them a heartbeat for the reader. A gripping, tense and compelling book which I was unable to put down. Covering a multitude of topics and spinning the reader round several times I highly recommend this psychological thriller which should be 'huge' this year. My thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.
January 17, 2016
I can't remember the last time that I read a book in one sitting, my eyes are tired and red-rimmed this morning, I picked up In Her Wake at around 9pm last night and read the final page at just before 2am this morning. I dreamt about the book, the story has haunted me all day today. It is almost as though In Her Wake was written just for me; the story ticks every one of my requirement boxes, and although it is still only January, I have no doubt whatsoever that this novel will be in my top reads of the year.
From the atmospheric, evocative and completely gripping first paragraph, to the very last full-stop, In Her Wake totally and utterly hooked me.
Bella and her husband arrive at her childhood home. Her mother is dead and she has to try to comfort her grieving father. It is clear from the outset that Bella's relationships with the men in her life are fraught and quite brittle. It was her mother who dominates her childhood memories, whereas her father remains a distant, shadowy figure. A man who she never felt quite at ease with.
Bella's husband David is a controlling man, snappish and judgemental, with his implied criticism and his apparent lack of empathy.
Henry, Bella's father appears to have aged many years. He is just a shell of the man that she remembers. The house where Henry and Elaine brought up Bella, and that was Elaine's sanctuary and hiding place is colder without her. The soul and raison d'etre of both the family members left behind and the bricks and mortar of the house has vanished.
And then, Bella suffers another tragedy, and in the aftermath she learns that everything that she thought she was is a lie. Henry and Elaine hid more from her, and the rest of the world, than she can comprehend. The family had been bound together by a series of terrible and cataclysmic secrets and lies, and Bella knows that if she is ever to understand, or to find peace, she must try to unravel the complex and tangled mystery that Elaine began, and has left .... in her wake.
Bella finds herself in a small Cornish seaside town, following the cryptic clues that her father gave to her, and discovering far far more than she could ever have imagined. She meets people who are linked to her, people who have suffered because or her family, yet these are people that she didn't know existed. These people know more about Bella than she does; they know more about who Bella really is, who she was, where she came from.
In Her Wake is psychologically chilling, but it is also a beautifully observed story of a journey of self-discovery. Amanda Jennings' words are alluring, persuasive and so incredibly elegant, the reader is carried along effortlessly into Bella's world. Her characters scream with realism, her settings are well observed and precise and the insight into the human mind and the power of family relationships is both unsettling and convincing.
In Her Wake deals with family, with power, with desperation and with the mysteries of the human brain. It is is novel that will shock, yet also delight the reader. A powerful page-turner from an author who goes from strength to strength.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
From the atmospheric, evocative and completely gripping first paragraph, to the very last full-stop, In Her Wake totally and utterly hooked me.
Bella and her husband arrive at her childhood home. Her mother is dead and she has to try to comfort her grieving father. It is clear from the outset that Bella's relationships with the men in her life are fraught and quite brittle. It was her mother who dominates her childhood memories, whereas her father remains a distant, shadowy figure. A man who she never felt quite at ease with.
Bella's husband David is a controlling man, snappish and judgemental, with his implied criticism and his apparent lack of empathy.
Henry, Bella's father appears to have aged many years. He is just a shell of the man that she remembers. The house where Henry and Elaine brought up Bella, and that was Elaine's sanctuary and hiding place is colder without her. The soul and raison d'etre of both the family members left behind and the bricks and mortar of the house has vanished.
And then, Bella suffers another tragedy, and in the aftermath she learns that everything that she thought she was is a lie. Henry and Elaine hid more from her, and the rest of the world, than she can comprehend. The family had been bound together by a series of terrible and cataclysmic secrets and lies, and Bella knows that if she is ever to understand, or to find peace, she must try to unravel the complex and tangled mystery that Elaine began, and has left .... in her wake.
Bella finds herself in a small Cornish seaside town, following the cryptic clues that her father gave to her, and discovering far far more than she could ever have imagined. She meets people who are linked to her, people who have suffered because or her family, yet these are people that she didn't know existed. These people know more about Bella than she does; they know more about who Bella really is, who she was, where she came from.
In Her Wake is psychologically chilling, but it is also a beautifully observed story of a journey of self-discovery. Amanda Jennings' words are alluring, persuasive and so incredibly elegant, the reader is carried along effortlessly into Bella's world. Her characters scream with realism, her settings are well observed and precise and the insight into the human mind and the power of family relationships is both unsettling and convincing.
In Her Wake deals with family, with power, with desperation and with the mysteries of the human brain. It is is novel that will shock, yet also delight the reader. A powerful page-turner from an author who goes from strength to strength.
http://randomthingsthroughmyletterbox...
June 6, 2021
I would not call this a thriller or a suspense novel. It didn’t hold enough of the suspense or edge I expect from those genres. However, this is a fraught family drama filled with secrets and betrayal. I found the character of Bella to be a sympathetic protagonist, and she grapples with finding an inner strength in the wake of learning her entire life has been a lie and an exercise in giving up control to others. Her determination to discover who she really is and to be her own woman makes for a moving saga. The atmospheric Cornish coast is the perfect backdrop for this emotional journey, and the smooth, elegant writing kept me engaged from the first page to the last.
March 6, 2017
A bit of a slow start but I'm glad I stayed with it. Lots of good ins and outs and interesting characters, but it was a bit on the long side. I liked it though. 3.5 stars.
February 10, 2016
Originally reviewed on Becca's Books.
Exquisitely painful, shockingly beautiful, and absorbing on every single level, In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings was stunning. Every page, which then led to every chapter, dragged me deeper and deeper into the story unravelling before me and when I finally finished and turned the last page, feeling as if I'd been thrown into a tumble-dryer and flung about a few times, I was able to exhale. Captivated doesn't even begin to cover how in awe I was of this novel. Spell-bound, involved, completely wound-up, I'm so thankful that In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings was brought to my attention.
Bella is about to have her life thrown upside down. No, scratch that. Bella is about to see how the happenings of a time before her own can affect the walls of her very existence in the present day, and bring them crashing down to the ground, leaving her completely exposed and vulnerable. Amanda Jennings does an impeccable job of making me wonder what exactly has gone in the old house Bella has returned to, to attend her mother's funeral. The atmosphere was tense and chokingly claustrophobic, and it felt as though the past, although unknown to me at this point, had something to do with that. As the reader, I was intensely aware of a strangeness that clung to the characters as they went about their business. Oppressive and almost dangerous somehow, I felt as though I was tiptoeing through the house right beside Bella, careful not to touch a single thing as I moved. It was the most beguiling of ways to begin this story, hooking me right there and then, and after only a handful of pages, my mind was ticking away and getting ahead of itself, trying to figure out what secrets lay behind Bella, because there were definitely secrets, that much was clear.
Amanda's characters within In Her Wake were incredible. From Bella and her husband David, to her parents, Elaine and Henry, each person was an absolute mystery to me, packed and wrapped in layers of protective tissue to keep the truth from making itself known. In the most captivating way, Amanda took me back and forth in time. Back to Bella's parents before she was born, and then forward to the present day when she's beginning to realise that all is not as it seems. Bella herself was beautiful and complex. She'd lived a life so controlled and sheltered, it was obvious that now, in later life, she was beginning to tire of it, desperate to escape the clutches left behind. When Amanda introduced Bella's husband to the plot, it almost became too much for me to take. Her feelings and emotions were displayed crystal-clear to me. A pretty little doll locked away in a glass cabinet, unable to do a single thing for herself, fussed over relentlessly. The way Bella's husband spoke to her had me wanting to scream out with frustration, and I was waiting for the moment when Bella would take her lead from me. But she didn't. The death of her mother had rocked her in more ways than I had imagined, although the reader is not made completely aware of how deeply Bella is affected until much later on in the plot. Without giving too much of this stunning story away, Bella then travels to Cornwall where things really begin to twist and turn beneath Amanda Jennings' skilled hands. It left me breathless. There was so much to learn about them all, unique and crafted in such a delicate yet hard-hitting way. I wanted to unravel each of them, piece by piece, right down to the very last foundation, and by taking me back to the very start of their history, Amanda allowed me to do exactly that. God, it was brilliant. Breath-takingly so. So clever, so seamless, so absolutely unforgettable.
The actual plot of In Her Wake itself was mind-blowing, so much so I couldn't actually believe where the author ended up taking me. Of course I knew there would be twists and turns, seeing as the novel had been labelled as a psychological thriller, but even that fantastic term doesn't even begin to describe it. Because not only did this novel play with my mind, but it teased and taunted too. I was led straight into a minefield of hooks and catches, of moments that would leave me gasping and shedding or a tear or two. It was an absolute playground for me as the reader, and I hope the author doesn't take that in the wrong way, because I mean it purely in the most complimentary manner. My mind and imagination were given free reign throughout my reading of this novel. There was so much for me to sink my teeth into, get my head around and accept. Not that it was hard for me to accept, because everything was handled in such a skilled way. From the solicitors, to the things that Bella learns throughout the momentous change that happens within her life, Amanda delivered it so perfectly to me.
I'm still reeling, even now, from the turn of events which took place within In Her Wake. Character development was incredible, and I utterly adored comparing Bella from the beginning of the novel to Bella at the end. Amanda Jennings has written such an unforgettable novel with this one, I'll be thinking about the story and the characters for a very long time to come. What at first appeared as a box of jigsaw pieces tipped upside down and splayed out, messy and out of place, gradually began to take shape, and I absolutely loved it. I would read this book again in a heartbeat, just to re-live the emotions that were sprung upon me. I was so deeply invested in Bella and her future, I hoped and prayed that she would find her place.
In Her Wake was a stunning story of desperation and belief, of how far a person can go for the one they love. It was heartbreaking, overpowering, obsessive, and completely addictive. It was a novel I will recommend to everyone. A novel I surely won't be dismissing in a hurry.
Becca's Books is awarding In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings with five completely worthy stars. Impeccable storytelling from an author who knows exactly how to deliver. This certainly won't be the last novel I read from Amanda, but I'm shocked that it's my first. Then again, what better way to be introduced to a brand-new author than by a book that stops you in your tracks like this did for me?
I'd like to say a special thank you to the wonderful Karen from Orenda Books for kindly providing me with an eBook copy of In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Exquisitely painful, shockingly beautiful, and absorbing on every single level, In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings was stunning. Every page, which then led to every chapter, dragged me deeper and deeper into the story unravelling before me and when I finally finished and turned the last page, feeling as if I'd been thrown into a tumble-dryer and flung about a few times, I was able to exhale. Captivated doesn't even begin to cover how in awe I was of this novel. Spell-bound, involved, completely wound-up, I'm so thankful that In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings was brought to my attention.
Bella is about to have her life thrown upside down. No, scratch that. Bella is about to see how the happenings of a time before her own can affect the walls of her very existence in the present day, and bring them crashing down to the ground, leaving her completely exposed and vulnerable. Amanda Jennings does an impeccable job of making me wonder what exactly has gone in the old house Bella has returned to, to attend her mother's funeral. The atmosphere was tense and chokingly claustrophobic, and it felt as though the past, although unknown to me at this point, had something to do with that. As the reader, I was intensely aware of a strangeness that clung to the characters as they went about their business. Oppressive and almost dangerous somehow, I felt as though I was tiptoeing through the house right beside Bella, careful not to touch a single thing as I moved. It was the most beguiling of ways to begin this story, hooking me right there and then, and after only a handful of pages, my mind was ticking away and getting ahead of itself, trying to figure out what secrets lay behind Bella, because there were definitely secrets, that much was clear.
Amanda's characters within In Her Wake were incredible. From Bella and her husband David, to her parents, Elaine and Henry, each person was an absolute mystery to me, packed and wrapped in layers of protective tissue to keep the truth from making itself known. In the most captivating way, Amanda took me back and forth in time. Back to Bella's parents before she was born, and then forward to the present day when she's beginning to realise that all is not as it seems. Bella herself was beautiful and complex. She'd lived a life so controlled and sheltered, it was obvious that now, in later life, she was beginning to tire of it, desperate to escape the clutches left behind. When Amanda introduced Bella's husband to the plot, it almost became too much for me to take. Her feelings and emotions were displayed crystal-clear to me. A pretty little doll locked away in a glass cabinet, unable to do a single thing for herself, fussed over relentlessly. The way Bella's husband spoke to her had me wanting to scream out with frustration, and I was waiting for the moment when Bella would take her lead from me. But she didn't. The death of her mother had rocked her in more ways than I had imagined, although the reader is not made completely aware of how deeply Bella is affected until much later on in the plot. Without giving too much of this stunning story away, Bella then travels to Cornwall where things really begin to twist and turn beneath Amanda Jennings' skilled hands. It left me breathless. There was so much to learn about them all, unique and crafted in such a delicate yet hard-hitting way. I wanted to unravel each of them, piece by piece, right down to the very last foundation, and by taking me back to the very start of their history, Amanda allowed me to do exactly that. God, it was brilliant. Breath-takingly so. So clever, so seamless, so absolutely unforgettable.
The actual plot of In Her Wake itself was mind-blowing, so much so I couldn't actually believe where the author ended up taking me. Of course I knew there would be twists and turns, seeing as the novel had been labelled as a psychological thriller, but even that fantastic term doesn't even begin to describe it. Because not only did this novel play with my mind, but it teased and taunted too. I was led straight into a minefield of hooks and catches, of moments that would leave me gasping and shedding or a tear or two. It was an absolute playground for me as the reader, and I hope the author doesn't take that in the wrong way, because I mean it purely in the most complimentary manner. My mind and imagination were given free reign throughout my reading of this novel. There was so much for me to sink my teeth into, get my head around and accept. Not that it was hard for me to accept, because everything was handled in such a skilled way. From the solicitors, to the things that Bella learns throughout the momentous change that happens within her life, Amanda delivered it so perfectly to me.
I'm still reeling, even now, from the turn of events which took place within In Her Wake. Character development was incredible, and I utterly adored comparing Bella from the beginning of the novel to Bella at the end. Amanda Jennings has written such an unforgettable novel with this one, I'll be thinking about the story and the characters for a very long time to come. What at first appeared as a box of jigsaw pieces tipped upside down and splayed out, messy and out of place, gradually began to take shape, and I absolutely loved it. I would read this book again in a heartbeat, just to re-live the emotions that were sprung upon me. I was so deeply invested in Bella and her future, I hoped and prayed that she would find her place.
In Her Wake was a stunning story of desperation and belief, of how far a person can go for the one they love. It was heartbreaking, overpowering, obsessive, and completely addictive. It was a novel I will recommend to everyone. A novel I surely won't be dismissing in a hurry.
Becca's Books is awarding In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings with five completely worthy stars. Impeccable storytelling from an author who knows exactly how to deliver. This certainly won't be the last novel I read from Amanda, but I'm shocked that it's my first. Then again, what better way to be introduced to a brand-new author than by a book that stops you in your tracks like this did for me?
I'd like to say a special thank you to the wonderful Karen from Orenda Books for kindly providing me with an eBook copy of In Her Wake by Amanda Jennings in exchange for a fair and honest review.
March 1, 2016
Despite the fact that I use a star system to 'rate' the books that I've read, I do feel it is a flawed system and so my Hall of Fame category was created for those books that are that little bit special, but even now I feel a book like In Her Wake deserves a category all of its own on my blog because it is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. It's also one of the hardest books I've ever had to write about and so this review is probably going to go one of two ways... I do hope though that it encourages people who haven't picked up In Her Wake yet to do so right away because this is a book I think everybody needs to read, even those that say they don't enjoy reading.
I suppose the first thing that excited me about In Her Wake was when reading the reviews (and I only read a few because you need to read this book knowing little about its story) there wasn't a single comparison to any other book. There weren't any cheap marketing tactics of putting the title of a bestselling psychological thriller across the front cover in the hope of tricking somebody into picking it up. Orenda Books is all class and instead relies on the huge amount of praise from a very impressive list of authors and bloggers who have put into words how incredible In Her Wake is better than I ever can. Just to go off-topic for one quick moment and mention this book was quite a special one to me as I approach the second anniversary of setting up this blog, Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books (then Arcadia) was one of the first people to follow my blog and has been nothing but supportive and encouraging of it since, despite being an incredible busy lady. So this is certainly a book I will be treasuring.
Bella returns to her family home for the funeral of her mother and straightaway there's an air of mystery about the whole thing. I even found myself thinking that I knew something of what was about to happen, and found myself (not for the only time in this book) being proven completely wrong. Bella is given some traumatic news which makes her question everything she ever thought she knew about herself. And it's this discovery that finds her travelling down to the beautiful Cornish coast, in search of those answers that she so desperately needs. Bella is such an intricately-created character, one who I think every single reader will be rooting for from the word go. Especially as we discover more about the very sheltered life that she's led, one that at first was controlled completely by her mother and father and now by her husband David. I can't remember the last time I disliked characters more than some of the ones in this book. With occasional sojourns back into the past featuring Bella's parents, we start to discover a whole lot more about what happened all of those years ago, whilst Bella herself does that also in the present day.
I've said this in the past but, despite having an A-level in English Language, I couldn't describe writing to save my life and so whilst not wanting to resort to the same old cliches, I think I'm going to have to. Amanda's writing is incredibly powerful and emotive, each line having real meaning. In Her Wake is incredibly thought-provoking the whole way through, and Amanda's writing is extremely hard-hitting and really leaves its mark. Amanda's writing is also beautifully descriptive, the Cornish setting being something I have only ever read about as a glorious holiday destination, and not as a metaphor for a woman's whole life being torn apart, as she starts to discover where she really came from. I didn't feel like a reader as I turned the pages of this book, I felt like a witness to everything that was unfolding. In fact, at times it felt almost uncomfortable, to be witnessing first the heartbreak Bella was feeling, then the shock of discovering a terrible secret, to the injustice of how something like this could actually happen to somebody.
I've mentioned before about characters feeling real in stories but with In Her Wake that has never been more true. Bella is a character I'm never going to forget, and the same is true for some of the other characters that make up the story, characters I can't even mention because it would spoil the book. I won't forget Bella because her story, her past, her journey and even her future is all ingrained in my mind. A sign of a good book is when you finish it and the next day the characters are still in your thoughts, a sign of an excellent book is when you can't foresee a time when they won't be. It wasn't that I connected with Bella as such, our lives being vastly different, but because Amanda has created this woman that just felt so real, so believable that I formed a kind of attachment with her and so on each step of her journey I shared in that hope, confusion, despair, horror, sadness, happiness, pretty much every emotion it is possible to feel was felt by me whilst reading this book and it takes a truly exceptional and gifted writer and storyteller to have an effect like that on a reader.
Throughout In Her Wake I was thinking of where the story was going to go and, perhaps thinking about those throwaway thrillers I had a couple of 'out there' theories about what might happen but I couldn't have been more wrong. Amanda completely threw me off course, especially with the last third of this story which was some of the best writing and storytelling I think I have ever read in a book. I was well and truly mesmerised, and could not tear myself away from what I was reading. Everything just began to fall into place and whilst I don't want to say 'it all made sense', I guess it kind of did in a way which to me just made everything even more heartbreaking than it had been already. It was only when I closed the book and set it aside that I realised tears had been rolling down my face, such was the effect this book had on me and I've waited a couple of days before writing this review, because I wanted to think about it, and somehow put my jumble of thoughts into some kind of review. In Her Wake is a remarkable and very rare kind of story, one that will touch every reader that picks it up, and I can't imagine a single person finishing this book and not wanting to recommend it to everybody they know (and even some people that they don't). Believe every single bit of praise you've read about this book because it is all true. I honestly cannot recommend it enough.
I suppose the first thing that excited me about In Her Wake was when reading the reviews (and I only read a few because you need to read this book knowing little about its story) there wasn't a single comparison to any other book. There weren't any cheap marketing tactics of putting the title of a bestselling psychological thriller across the front cover in the hope of tricking somebody into picking it up. Orenda Books is all class and instead relies on the huge amount of praise from a very impressive list of authors and bloggers who have put into words how incredible In Her Wake is better than I ever can. Just to go off-topic for one quick moment and mention this book was quite a special one to me as I approach the second anniversary of setting up this blog, Karen Sullivan of Orenda Books (then Arcadia) was one of the first people to follow my blog and has been nothing but supportive and encouraging of it since, despite being an incredible busy lady. So this is certainly a book I will be treasuring.
Bella returns to her family home for the funeral of her mother and straightaway there's an air of mystery about the whole thing. I even found myself thinking that I knew something of what was about to happen, and found myself (not for the only time in this book) being proven completely wrong. Bella is given some traumatic news which makes her question everything she ever thought she knew about herself. And it's this discovery that finds her travelling down to the beautiful Cornish coast, in search of those answers that she so desperately needs. Bella is such an intricately-created character, one who I think every single reader will be rooting for from the word go. Especially as we discover more about the very sheltered life that she's led, one that at first was controlled completely by her mother and father and now by her husband David. I can't remember the last time I disliked characters more than some of the ones in this book. With occasional sojourns back into the past featuring Bella's parents, we start to discover a whole lot more about what happened all of those years ago, whilst Bella herself does that also in the present day.
I've said this in the past but, despite having an A-level in English Language, I couldn't describe writing to save my life and so whilst not wanting to resort to the same old cliches, I think I'm going to have to. Amanda's writing is incredibly powerful and emotive, each line having real meaning. In Her Wake is incredibly thought-provoking the whole way through, and Amanda's writing is extremely hard-hitting and really leaves its mark. Amanda's writing is also beautifully descriptive, the Cornish setting being something I have only ever read about as a glorious holiday destination, and not as a metaphor for a woman's whole life being torn apart, as she starts to discover where she really came from. I didn't feel like a reader as I turned the pages of this book, I felt like a witness to everything that was unfolding. In fact, at times it felt almost uncomfortable, to be witnessing first the heartbreak Bella was feeling, then the shock of discovering a terrible secret, to the injustice of how something like this could actually happen to somebody.
I've mentioned before about characters feeling real in stories but with In Her Wake that has never been more true. Bella is a character I'm never going to forget, and the same is true for some of the other characters that make up the story, characters I can't even mention because it would spoil the book. I won't forget Bella because her story, her past, her journey and even her future is all ingrained in my mind. A sign of a good book is when you finish it and the next day the characters are still in your thoughts, a sign of an excellent book is when you can't foresee a time when they won't be. It wasn't that I connected with Bella as such, our lives being vastly different, but because Amanda has created this woman that just felt so real, so believable that I formed a kind of attachment with her and so on each step of her journey I shared in that hope, confusion, despair, horror, sadness, happiness, pretty much every emotion it is possible to feel was felt by me whilst reading this book and it takes a truly exceptional and gifted writer and storyteller to have an effect like that on a reader.
Throughout In Her Wake I was thinking of where the story was going to go and, perhaps thinking about those throwaway thrillers I had a couple of 'out there' theories about what might happen but I couldn't have been more wrong. Amanda completely threw me off course, especially with the last third of this story which was some of the best writing and storytelling I think I have ever read in a book. I was well and truly mesmerised, and could not tear myself away from what I was reading. Everything just began to fall into place and whilst I don't want to say 'it all made sense', I guess it kind of did in a way which to me just made everything even more heartbreaking than it had been already. It was only when I closed the book and set it aside that I realised tears had been rolling down my face, such was the effect this book had on me and I've waited a couple of days before writing this review, because I wanted to think about it, and somehow put my jumble of thoughts into some kind of review. In Her Wake is a remarkable and very rare kind of story, one that will touch every reader that picks it up, and I can't imagine a single person finishing this book and not wanting to recommend it to everybody they know (and even some people that they don't). Believe every single bit of praise you've read about this book because it is all true. I honestly cannot recommend it enough.
June 2, 2023
Amanda Jennings has thought about every word she uses, this keeps the reader glued to every page. This story is a mixture of loss and grief, with many twist and turns that you never know what is going to happen next.
February 11, 2016
I loved it, review to follow.
March 17, 2017
2.5 stars - psychological thriller? Seriously?
Once again I'm in the minority as most other reviewers loved it. Don't get me wrong, Jennings is fantastic writer and the book was certainly beautifully written. It just wasn't as advertised (psych thriller). It was not thrilling. There was no suspense and not much actually happened.
It was more about pain and loss and upheaval when you find out everything you took for granted growing up was a lie. But I did think how could one person's family (and supposed family) have so many screwed up members, well I guess anything is possible in fiction. Bella's supposed parents were quite unbelievable - who does that stuff? I can imagine the mother going nuts after all that happened but, instead of indulging her criminal actions, why didn't her husband get her some professional help??? He was as weak as piss.
I stumbled through it to the end but its not my sort of book.
Once again I'm in the minority as most other reviewers loved it. Don't get me wrong, Jennings is fantastic writer and the book was certainly beautifully written. It just wasn't as advertised (psych thriller). It was not thrilling. There was no suspense and not much actually happened.
It was more about pain and loss and upheaval when you find out everything you took for granted growing up was a lie. But I did think how could one person's family (and supposed family) have so many screwed up members, well I guess anything is possible in fiction. Bella's supposed parents were quite unbelievable - who does that stuff? I can imagine the mother going nuts after all that happened but, instead of indulging her criminal actions, why didn't her husband get her some professional help??? He was as weak as piss.
I stumbled through it to the end but its not my sort of book.
April 5, 2016
Books of this calibre should be revered until the end of time. You know the ones I mean, don’t you? Those that evoke every emotion, challenge your waking thoughts, their perfect wordage standing out from the crowd, otherwise known as extraordinary.
Featuring arresting descriptions of the Cornish landscape and intensely vivid, desperately unsatisfied characters, this remarkable story of adversity is one to regard with wonder. In Her Wake sees the anatomy of Bella Campbell’s life being picked apart, piece by fragile piece, until nothing will ever be the same again.
Doctor Henry Campbell and his wife, Elaine, struggle to conceive a child causing a disturbing riptide throughout their marriage. His wife’s distress even tempts them toward religious intervention. So when precious Bella arrives, Doctor Campbell’s wife is overjoyed as her prayers have been answered. She is ‘complete’ and dedicates herself to providing care, home-schooling, and friendship for her daughter above everything and anyone else.
For all their neurosis Bella had no reason to feel anything but admiration and love for her overly-protective mother and emotionally distant father. Subsequently, despite adoring her parents and all their foibles, Bella leads a very lonely life, longing for people her own age to talk to. We discover she has an imaginary friend called Tori, whose personality is the complete opposite of Bella, encouraging her to try new and daring things she would never dream of for fear of disappointing her parents who offer her the world – albeit one that is locked behind a door closed to everyone else she is told for her own safety.
The odd attention that had been heaped upon her in her formative years may have been suffocating, but it was comfortingly familiar. Bella was finally given a chance to spread her wings at university and it was there she met a lecturer twenty years her senior called David, who whisked her off her feet to become the next stable figure in her life, where it seems her wings were stealthily being clipped.
Upon learning of the death of her mother, Bella returns to her childhood home to attend the funeral and is accompanied by David’s subtly condescending presence. They discover her father is bewildered, lost – episodes of his distress emanate from the page. As her mother was the eccentric, complicated bedrock she knew best, Bella’s visit entails awkward silences with her Father to eventually reveal a slither of a childhood she didn’t know existed when a letter written by Doctor Campbell drops the bombshell of all bombshells. Who could have predicated that a single day truly would change everything?
As a result, the world has been throw wide open for this young woman and she has no choice but to discover it for herself. Yet she is hindered by crippling anxiety when tasked to have her own thoughts and aspirations, of which there are excruciatingly heart breaking episodes throughout. After being greatly influenced by her mother’s choices and fears, being told the monsters would come for her if she stepped outside, and since being married to a much older, persuasive man, she didn’t quite manage to escape the clutches of a claustrophobic atmosphere – merely replacing the old façade with a newer, more sickeningly charming one. It seems monsters come in all shapes and guises…
For the duration of the story Bella is on a haunting journey of self-discovery. Accompanied only the occasional visit from her imaginary friend, a projection of her inner-self screaming to be released, she takes charge of her destiny the only way she knows how. As the enigmatic layers are peeled away they reveal how an immense tragedy impacted greatly upon those around her, a tragedy that Bella will soon discover the effects of as she opens the ominous doors of her life and steps out into the world – a world that had been waiting for her, it seems, forever.
5/5 ABSOLUTELY AND POSITIVELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(My thanks to the publisher for providing the most wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review. It truly is an exceptional read.)
Featuring arresting descriptions of the Cornish landscape and intensely vivid, desperately unsatisfied characters, this remarkable story of adversity is one to regard with wonder. In Her Wake sees the anatomy of Bella Campbell’s life being picked apart, piece by fragile piece, until nothing will ever be the same again.
Doctor Henry Campbell and his wife, Elaine, struggle to conceive a child causing a disturbing riptide throughout their marriage. His wife’s distress even tempts them toward religious intervention. So when precious Bella arrives, Doctor Campbell’s wife is overjoyed as her prayers have been answered. She is ‘complete’ and dedicates herself to providing care, home-schooling, and friendship for her daughter above everything and anyone else.
For all their neurosis Bella had no reason to feel anything but admiration and love for her overly-protective mother and emotionally distant father. Subsequently, despite adoring her parents and all their foibles, Bella leads a very lonely life, longing for people her own age to talk to. We discover she has an imaginary friend called Tori, whose personality is the complete opposite of Bella, encouraging her to try new and daring things she would never dream of for fear of disappointing her parents who offer her the world – albeit one that is locked behind a door closed to everyone else she is told for her own safety.
The odd attention that had been heaped upon her in her formative years may have been suffocating, but it was comfortingly familiar. Bella was finally given a chance to spread her wings at university and it was there she met a lecturer twenty years her senior called David, who whisked her off her feet to become the next stable figure in her life, where it seems her wings were stealthily being clipped.
Upon learning of the death of her mother, Bella returns to her childhood home to attend the funeral and is accompanied by David’s subtly condescending presence. They discover her father is bewildered, lost – episodes of his distress emanate from the page. As her mother was the eccentric, complicated bedrock she knew best, Bella’s visit entails awkward silences with her Father to eventually reveal a slither of a childhood she didn’t know existed when a letter written by Doctor Campbell drops the bombshell of all bombshells. Who could have predicated that a single day truly would change everything?
As a result, the world has been throw wide open for this young woman and she has no choice but to discover it for herself. Yet she is hindered by crippling anxiety when tasked to have her own thoughts and aspirations, of which there are excruciatingly heart breaking episodes throughout. After being greatly influenced by her mother’s choices and fears, being told the monsters would come for her if she stepped outside, and since being married to a much older, persuasive man, she didn’t quite manage to escape the clutches of a claustrophobic atmosphere – merely replacing the old façade with a newer, more sickeningly charming one. It seems monsters come in all shapes and guises…
For the duration of the story Bella is on a haunting journey of self-discovery. Accompanied only the occasional visit from her imaginary friend, a projection of her inner-self screaming to be released, she takes charge of her destiny the only way she knows how. As the enigmatic layers are peeled away they reveal how an immense tragedy impacted greatly upon those around her, a tragedy that Bella will soon discover the effects of as she opens the ominous doors of her life and steps out into the world – a world that had been waiting for her, it seems, forever.
5/5 ABSOLUTELY AND POSITIVELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
(My thanks to the publisher for providing the most wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review. It truly is an exceptional read.)
June 23, 2016
Bella has been living a so-so life, controlled first by her over protective mother Elaine, a woman so paranoid about the monsters outside of the safe walls of the Old Vicarage that she insists on home schooling her daughter, and latterly by her husband, David, a man twice her age, who she met when she was a student in his University class. She thinks she is happy, believes that this is how her life is meant to be, until her mother’s death leads to a revelation which rips apart everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. For Bella is not who she thought she was, who her mother led her to believe that she was. Her journey to discover the truth about herself leads her to Cornwall, and to a dark secret she begins to wish had never been revealed.
‘In Her Wake’ is beautifully written psychological thriller. The premise of the story is grounded in reality, and while the concept is maybe not entirely unique, the manner in which Amanda Jennings tells Bella’s story is both beautiful and heart wrenching at the same time. Written in first person, from the points of view of Bella and her father, Henry Campbell, the story is full of twists and slow building tension. The language and description used are superb, almost poetic, painting a wonderfully clear picture of Cornwall, of the sea and the legends surrounding it which play as large a part in the story as any of the characters.
This is not a fast paced thrill ride and if that is what you are seeking, this may not be the book for you. What it is, is a book that in spite of this is still capable of delivering surprises and twists, and the overwhelming sense of dread and astonishment as you start to realise the full nature and, at times, horror of the situation which unravels within this book. You feel the guilt, the emotion, the bewilderment and the exhaustion of the characters as they live it, the confusion of Bella as she struggles to understand what has happened and how her life has changed, and the ultimate betrayal she continually feels throughout the novel as one by one, people who she felt she could trust let her down.
There is a certain amount of inevitability which is skilfully built into the story, and while some revelations are not truly unexpected, they still manage to surprise and perhaps bewilder the reader, such is the skill of Jennings in creating the scenes. It is a sign of good writing that, in spite of what he has done, as a reader I was still able to feel for Henry, a man who gave up everything he believed in in order to protect the woman he loved so fiercely. A man who had to suffer in silence over a heart wrenching loss, one which is perhaps the most shocking and moving reveal in the whole novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is one which I would advise you savour rather than rush through. It is not that kind of story. If you rush you may miss the beauty of the setting, the calm of the sea to contrast against the out of control whirlwind which is Bella’s life. There are so many facets to this book, the way in which it covers the full chain reaction from an event which had taken place some twenty-five years earlier, dipping from past to present seamlessly and so completely and thoughtfully details the life of the central characters after that fateful day. I know it is classified as a crime/thriller and yet I’m not sure that title fits as it is so much more than that. Is there a crime element? Yes. Is it a psychological drama? Yes. Were there times that I felt frustrated and wondered why Bella didn’t just go to the police and let them sort the whole mess out. Yes. Oh yes. Bella is naïve and makes mad choices but then this is a reflection of her wholly introverted upbringing and, for me at least, very believable. Is it a tragic tale of the sacrifices and choices that people make in the name of love? Absolutely. But however you paint it, whatever genre you choose to place it in, this is a brilliant piece of writing and I highly recommend it.
5 stars.
‘In Her Wake’ is beautifully written psychological thriller. The premise of the story is grounded in reality, and while the concept is maybe not entirely unique, the manner in which Amanda Jennings tells Bella’s story is both beautiful and heart wrenching at the same time. Written in first person, from the points of view of Bella and her father, Henry Campbell, the story is full of twists and slow building tension. The language and description used are superb, almost poetic, painting a wonderfully clear picture of Cornwall, of the sea and the legends surrounding it which play as large a part in the story as any of the characters.
This is not a fast paced thrill ride and if that is what you are seeking, this may not be the book for you. What it is, is a book that in spite of this is still capable of delivering surprises and twists, and the overwhelming sense of dread and astonishment as you start to realise the full nature and, at times, horror of the situation which unravels within this book. You feel the guilt, the emotion, the bewilderment and the exhaustion of the characters as they live it, the confusion of Bella as she struggles to understand what has happened and how her life has changed, and the ultimate betrayal she continually feels throughout the novel as one by one, people who she felt she could trust let her down.
There is a certain amount of inevitability which is skilfully built into the story, and while some revelations are not truly unexpected, they still manage to surprise and perhaps bewilder the reader, such is the skill of Jennings in creating the scenes. It is a sign of good writing that, in spite of what he has done, as a reader I was still able to feel for Henry, a man who gave up everything he believed in in order to protect the woman he loved so fiercely. A man who had to suffer in silence over a heart wrenching loss, one which is perhaps the most shocking and moving reveal in the whole novel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is one which I would advise you savour rather than rush through. It is not that kind of story. If you rush you may miss the beauty of the setting, the calm of the sea to contrast against the out of control whirlwind which is Bella’s life. There are so many facets to this book, the way in which it covers the full chain reaction from an event which had taken place some twenty-five years earlier, dipping from past to present seamlessly and so completely and thoughtfully details the life of the central characters after that fateful day. I know it is classified as a crime/thriller and yet I’m not sure that title fits as it is so much more than that. Is there a crime element? Yes. Is it a psychological drama? Yes. Were there times that I felt frustrated and wondered why Bella didn’t just go to the police and let them sort the whole mess out. Yes. Oh yes. Bella is naïve and makes mad choices but then this is a reflection of her wholly introverted upbringing and, for me at least, very believable. Is it a tragic tale of the sacrifices and choices that people make in the name of love? Absolutely. But however you paint it, whatever genre you choose to place it in, this is a brilliant piece of writing and I highly recommend it.
5 stars.
April 27, 2016
In Her Wake is a story filled with secrets and fraught relationships that makes for quite a sinister yet emotional read.
Bella's whole world is understandably turned upside down after some pretty shocking revelations are discovered after the death of her mother. It makes Bella question everything about her childhood, the person she is as well as her relationship with her husband.
The story is mainly all set on the Cornish Coast which I loved. Like Bella, I could very much feel the different types of weather on my skin as well as the noises and the smells. I really had to stop myself from getting in my car and just leaving everything behind like Bella, as the thought of the people, the houses, the coffee shop and most of all the coastal walks and beach, it just sounded so tempting.
I really liked Bella's character. All her life she has let people look after and do everything for her and I think the revelations give her the courage to stand up on her own two feet for a change. I could feel her whole out look on life change slowly throughout the story and I very much enjoyed seeing the new person she was becoming as it was definitely for the better.
Dawn is another great character. Bella turning up on her doorstop has opened her up to so many emotions which I thought the author portrayed perfectly. The devotion and care she has shown for her mother really moved me and I found myself so many times just wanting to reach out to her and give her a hug.
It is so hard to say to much more about the story without giving the storyline away so I'm not going to.
A beautifully written novel, where the characters really touched my heart. Reaching the end made me even more emotional as I didn't want it to end as I was that wrapped up with Bella and Dawn and their lives. Truly moving.
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Bella's whole world is understandably turned upside down after some pretty shocking revelations are discovered after the death of her mother. It makes Bella question everything about her childhood, the person she is as well as her relationship with her husband.
The story is mainly all set on the Cornish Coast which I loved. Like Bella, I could very much feel the different types of weather on my skin as well as the noises and the smells. I really had to stop myself from getting in my car and just leaving everything behind like Bella, as the thought of the people, the houses, the coffee shop and most of all the coastal walks and beach, it just sounded so tempting.
I really liked Bella's character. All her life she has let people look after and do everything for her and I think the revelations give her the courage to stand up on her own two feet for a change. I could feel her whole out look on life change slowly throughout the story and I very much enjoyed seeing the new person she was becoming as it was definitely for the better.
Dawn is another great character. Bella turning up on her doorstop has opened her up to so many emotions which I thought the author portrayed perfectly. The devotion and care she has shown for her mother really moved me and I found myself so many times just wanting to reach out to her and give her a hug.
It is so hard to say to much more about the story without giving the storyline away so I'm not going to.
A beautifully written novel, where the characters really touched my heart. Reaching the end made me even more emotional as I didn't want it to end as I was that wrapped up with Bella and Dawn and their lives. Truly moving.
Many thanks to the author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
May 9, 2016
As many reviewers have already written, In Her Wake is a unique mystery with a chilling scenario, an adventurous plot, and many creative twists that keep the reader guessing until the very end.
Things I loved about the book:
I adored the character of Dawn and thought she was very well drawn in all her inconsistencies. She was a great foil for Bella who was rather wooden for the first part of the book (for good reasons but I found her hard to relate to).
In Her Wake doesn’t follow a textbook story arc and this was refreshing. There’s even a fairly major plot thread that’s unresolved at the end, adding realism to the story – life’s events don’t always get tied up with a bow. And the final reveals were very surprising and well written, linking back to a cleverly planted hint early on that I didn’t see coming and making sense of the questions I had about the plausibility of past events.
The slightly surreal moments and mythical links are wonderful, bringing drama and depth to the emotional landscape. I’m also a great fan of playing with names, and that’s another inspired and surprising element in the book.
My criticisms have led to the four-star rating:
I love first person narrators because I can see inside their heads. It’s a chance to be flipped into fresh perspectives as the narrator wrangles with the circumstances that life throws at them ...
See the remainder of this guest review at The Book Review Cafe: https://thebookreviewcafe.wordpress.c...
Things I loved about the book:
I adored the character of Dawn and thought she was very well drawn in all her inconsistencies. She was a great foil for Bella who was rather wooden for the first part of the book (for good reasons but I found her hard to relate to).
In Her Wake doesn’t follow a textbook story arc and this was refreshing. There’s even a fairly major plot thread that’s unresolved at the end, adding realism to the story – life’s events don’t always get tied up with a bow. And the final reveals were very surprising and well written, linking back to a cleverly planted hint early on that I didn’t see coming and making sense of the questions I had about the plausibility of past events.
The slightly surreal moments and mythical links are wonderful, bringing drama and depth to the emotional landscape. I’m also a great fan of playing with names, and that’s another inspired and surprising element in the book.
My criticisms have led to the four-star rating:
I love first person narrators because I can see inside their heads. It’s a chance to be flipped into fresh perspectives as the narrator wrangles with the circumstances that life throws at them ...
See the remainder of this guest review at The Book Review Cafe: https://thebookreviewcafe.wordpress.c...
April 21, 2016
A tragic family event reveals some devastating news that rips apart Bella's comfortable existence. Embarking on a personal journey to uncover the truth, she faces a series of traumatic discoveries that take her to the ruggedly beautiful Cornish coast, where hidden truths, past betrayals, and a 25-year-old mystery threaten not just her identity, but her life.Chilling, complex and profoundly moving, In Her Wake, is a gripping psychological thriller that questions the nature of family - and reminds us that sometimes the most shocking crimes are committed closest to home.
Sometimes a book comes along and just blows your mind. This is one of those books - Rare and hauntingly beautiful. This book is featured as a crime/thriller. In my personal opinion, this is not the case, albeit the crimes committed are devastating and shocking.
Mesmerising storytelling at it's best. I took a bit longer over this book as I wanted to absorb every single word written - very warming, poetic and sublimely written.
Gripping, shocking, heartwarming and very compelling! This book does warm the heart and will stay with me for a long time to come.
Pure brilliance 5*
Sometimes a book comes along and just blows your mind. This is one of those books - Rare and hauntingly beautiful. This book is featured as a crime/thriller. In my personal opinion, this is not the case, albeit the crimes committed are devastating and shocking.
Mesmerising storytelling at it's best. I took a bit longer over this book as I wanted to absorb every single word written - very warming, poetic and sublimely written.
Gripping, shocking, heartwarming and very compelling! This book does warm the heart and will stay with me for a long time to come.
Pure brilliance 5*
January 31, 2016
Review to come - but can I just say this book is outstanding - pre-order it NOW!
January 3, 2018
What a wonderful, wonderful book! My emotions have been rung out of me.
December 18, 2017
Wow! What a great book. what if everything you knew was a lie.
February 16, 2016
After reading The Judas Scar by Amanda Jennings a few years ago I have been eagerly awaiting her next offering! In Her Wake has the most hypnotic cover and made me want to jump straight into the pages of the story.
Now, I’m just going to put this out there: this book is not a psychological thriller. It has been described as one but to me it lacked the elements that I would suggest make up a psychological thriller. However this book is definitely full of drama and intrigue but just lacked those ‘OMG’ moments that I associate with thrillers. It’s not that this book didn’t pack a punch because it certainly did and it definitely had well timed reveals and parts that shocked me but, yeah, I just didn’t get the thriller vibe, sadly!
In Her Wake tells the tale of Bella whose life is about to come crashing down around her. When he father dies and leaves a mystifying note, Bella suddenly realises her life is about to irrevocably change. Leaving behind everything she knows, she ventures off to Cornwall to explore the mystery left in her father’s letter. As Bella digs deeper into her own past and that of her family, incredible things come to light that change everything Bella thought she once knew.
Set in and around Cornwall, In Her Wake spans decades and intertwines the stories of a group of people who were all changed by one event. Narrated by Bella with small scatters from Henry, Bella’s father, Jennings’ paints an incredible picture that at once confuses and compels.
It was so fantastic to be back in a world that Jennings has created. Her characters feel so real that you end up getting caught up in their world believing you’re a fly on the wall, truly ingrained in everything that’s happening around you. Bella was a flawed character with personality traits that I couldn’t help but admonish, but as the novel progressed and I learnt more about her past her behaviour felt very true to life and I felt like I understood her a lot more. The other characters that we meet within the novel are at times untrustworthy and I found myself feeling wary around a few of them, wondering what their real motives were. The development of each character was also fantastic; they all learnt, grew and changed perfectly.
The premise was pretty unique and was mostly unpredictable with some great reveals that made me think, ‘wow, ok everything is not as it seems!’ I liked how we found out everything at the same pace Bella did rather than knowing what was about to come; it was great to be able to see her initial reactions to everything that happened.
This is definitely a novel that has drama and unsolved mysteries at its core but I wouldn’t quite label it ‘chilling’ or ‘frightening’. However I did read it in just two sittings and felt compelled to keep reading. I guess I was waiting for some big, fanfare ending that would throw a huge massive curveball at me and when that didn’t happen it all felt a teeny bit ant-climactic, but, aside from that, the rest of this book had me gripped.
In Her Wake is a compelling story about family and the exploration of who you truly are when everything you thought you knew about yourself was wrong.
Now, I’m just going to put this out there: this book is not a psychological thriller. It has been described as one but to me it lacked the elements that I would suggest make up a psychological thriller. However this book is definitely full of drama and intrigue but just lacked those ‘OMG’ moments that I associate with thrillers. It’s not that this book didn’t pack a punch because it certainly did and it definitely had well timed reveals and parts that shocked me but, yeah, I just didn’t get the thriller vibe, sadly!
In Her Wake tells the tale of Bella whose life is about to come crashing down around her. When he father dies and leaves a mystifying note, Bella suddenly realises her life is about to irrevocably change. Leaving behind everything she knows, she ventures off to Cornwall to explore the mystery left in her father’s letter. As Bella digs deeper into her own past and that of her family, incredible things come to light that change everything Bella thought she once knew.
Set in and around Cornwall, In Her Wake spans decades and intertwines the stories of a group of people who were all changed by one event. Narrated by Bella with small scatters from Henry, Bella’s father, Jennings’ paints an incredible picture that at once confuses and compels.
It was so fantastic to be back in a world that Jennings has created. Her characters feel so real that you end up getting caught up in their world believing you’re a fly on the wall, truly ingrained in everything that’s happening around you. Bella was a flawed character with personality traits that I couldn’t help but admonish, but as the novel progressed and I learnt more about her past her behaviour felt very true to life and I felt like I understood her a lot more. The other characters that we meet within the novel are at times untrustworthy and I found myself feeling wary around a few of them, wondering what their real motives were. The development of each character was also fantastic; they all learnt, grew and changed perfectly.
The premise was pretty unique and was mostly unpredictable with some great reveals that made me think, ‘wow, ok everything is not as it seems!’ I liked how we found out everything at the same pace Bella did rather than knowing what was about to come; it was great to be able to see her initial reactions to everything that happened.
This is definitely a novel that has drama and unsolved mysteries at its core but I wouldn’t quite label it ‘chilling’ or ‘frightening’. However I did read it in just two sittings and felt compelled to keep reading. I guess I was waiting for some big, fanfare ending that would throw a huge massive curveball at me and when that didn’t happen it all felt a teeny bit ant-climactic, but, aside from that, the rest of this book had me gripped.
In Her Wake is a compelling story about family and the exploration of who you truly are when everything you thought you knew about yourself was wrong.
February 20, 2017
What happens when a mother's love turns into madness?
Bella loses both her parents in the same week and then discovers that her whole life was a cruel lie. This is a tragic story about stolen childhoods and unending grief. The book does explore domestic abuse in a few forms. I found it an emotional read, but not overly sentimental. Dealing with child abuse in various forms is not always an easy read, but it was well written and the characters draw you into this story of a mother's love, family loyalty and betrayal.
This was a nice piece of writing, and a satisfying read.
Bella loses both her parents in the same week and then discovers that her whole life was a cruel lie. This is a tragic story about stolen childhoods and unending grief. The book does explore domestic abuse in a few forms. I found it an emotional read, but not overly sentimental. Dealing with child abuse in various forms is not always an easy read, but it was well written and the characters draw you into this story of a mother's love, family loyalty and betrayal.
This was a nice piece of writing, and a satisfying read.
March 27, 2017
Imagine everything you know is a lie. A big fat lie and you are at the center of it. Except you have no idea. You are surrounded by the familiarity of faces and places and habits. You have a name, a life, a husband. You're like everybody else.
Until a fateful day rips apart the curtain and you are faced with a mirror reflecting a world you thought you knew.
This is what happens to Bella.
It took me one page to warm and connect to Bella, as we meet her on her way to her parent's house after her mother's death. The first-person narrative made me feel close to her from the beginning through the amazing descriptive and introspective prose used by the author. The event leading Bella back to the family house also played a part, the heavy cloud of sudden grief was written in such a beautiful and human way that my heart broke for this newly motherless woman. It only took me a few pages to feel tears prick my eyes and before I knew it, the pain was all over me.
To say this story is emotional is a euphemism. This story brings up each and every emotion in your body and mind. You'll feel as if a bulldozer has ran over, or better, crushed you over and over and left you, cold and wet, on the road. Because Bella's mother's death is only the trigger of a series of events that will draw Bella, and you, to an unknown road, like a naked child without any landmark, scared and wounded. Suddenly the blinders are lifted and you realize you are not where you belong. But how do you find your way back?
Now don't think this is the darkest and most depressing story you'll ever find, because it isn't. Bella is a complex character with a spectacular hidden strength and those pages tell the story of how a woman can free herself from a shell she had no idea she was stuck in and how she can find the woman she really is.
Bella is a character who will stay with me, her determination and vulnerability moved me more than I can express and the author made her so easy to relate to that the exploration of the character's identity can only make you think about what important things as family mean to you.
“You can't turn off love, that's the tragedy.”
It takes mistakes, tears, alcohol, hope, smiles, new faces and places, and betrayal, but Bella grows in front of our eyes in a realistic and authentic way. I won't give any details regarding the series of shocks she must face as this is one of those books you need to go into as blind as possible, which means this review is on the shorter side. But hit after hit, Bella finds herself on her way to her true identity.
This is no walk in the park. Secrets, lies, time, and guilt can severe bonds, and I rooted for Bella with every fiber of my being, wishing her all the happiness. At first, I was hoping someone would be here to help her figure things out, but she is the proof only yourself can make a difference in your life through the choices you make. Yes, support is needed, but in the end, you're the only one capable of saving yourself. I detected very early on the pattern of control in her husband's behavior, and it was the first clue that told me something was very wrong. I was relieved to see Bella open her eyes to her world, old and new, and to step into life after so many years just letting it pass by. The experiences she goes through during the story teaches her more about herself than all the years she “lived” before her mother's death. Still, Bella cannot erase her old self and I was amazed by the way Amanda Jennings depicted Bella's internal struggles and the conflicts which arose from her new situation.
Jumps to the past give you a better insight about why and how things ended up the way they did and while I still cannot forgive what happened, the author made sure to bring enough material to the story for us to try and understand.
How naive he'd been to think he could protect her forever, but he was damned if he'd stop trying.
I couldn't tear myself away from In Her Wake, this book is one of the purest character-driven story I have ever read.
While I had a few of niggles regarding her new situation, or more particularly her mother's, and how things turned up, I am glad the author chose this side to bring Bella what she needed. I know, this is totally vague but if I gave away what I am talking about now, it would ruin so much of the story for you!
With In Her Wake, Amanda Jennings masterfully captures the complexities of identity, relationships, broken souls and wasted time, and she delivers a true masterpiece about how strong family bonds are.
I received a copy of this book from Orenda Books. This unbiased review is my thanks to her and the author.
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