The Unmaking of Ellie Rook

by Sandra Ireland

A single phone call from halfway across the world is all it takes to bring her home . . . 'Ellie, something bad has happened.'

Desperate to escape her 'kid from the scrapyard' reputation, Ellie Rook has forged a new life for herself abroad, but tragedy strikes when her mother, Imelda, falls from a notorious waterfall. Here, according to local legend, the warrior queen Finella jumped to her death after killing a king. In the wake of her mother's disappearance, Ellie is forced to confront some disturbing truths about the family she left behind and the woman she has become.

Can a long-dead queen hold the key to Ellie's survival? And how far will she go to right a wrong?

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Contemporary, Psychological Thriller

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2019

About the author

Sandra Ireland was born in England but lived for many years in Éire before returning ‘home’ to Scotland in the 1990s. She is the author of Beneath the Skin, a psychological thriller, which was shortlisted for a Saltire Literary Award in 2017. Her second novel, Bone Deep, a modern Gothic tale of sibling rivalry, inspired by an old Scottish folktale, will be published in the UK by Polygon in July, and in the US (Gallery) and Germany (Penguin) next year. She also writes poetry, often inspired by the seascapes of Scotland’s rugged east coast. Her poems have been widely published in anthologies, including Seagate III (Dundee), and New Writing Scotland. She won the Dorothy Dunbar Trophy for Poetry, awarded by the Scottish Association of Writers, in 2017 and 2018. Sandra is Secretary of Angus Writers’ Circle and one third of the Chasing Time Team, which runs writing retreats in a gloriously gothic rural setting.

Reviews

[Philomena Callan Cheekypee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read Bone Deep by this author and loved it so I was looking forward to reading another from her.

According to legend, Finella , a fierce Pictish queen, jumped to certain death from a waterfall after killing the King of Scotland. When Ellie Rook’s mother, Imelda, disappears from the same spot, Ellie is forced to confront some disturbing truths about the family she left behind and the woman she has become.

Ellie gets a phone call that’s gonna change her life forever. Her mother’s missing, presumed dead.

Is the folklore about Fenella connected to her mums disappearance?

This was a different kinda read for me but I really enjoyed it. I felt the author weaved a story rather than write it. I’m really looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Kate A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating 4.5/5

This is the first time I have read a Sandra Ireland book and I wasn’t sure what to expect because when I saw the size of it I wondered if it could deliver on the promise of such an intriguing blurb with so few pages. I needn’t have given it a thought, this book definitely falls into the small but mighty category, considering its short length I had no idea just how much of an emotional rollercoaster I would be taken on.

I feel like I have so many good things I want to say but I just don’t know how to articulate them. There is such an amazing atmosphere created in this story, I felt it from the first couple of pages, it’s that feeling of when you know you shouldn’t do something but you do it anyway. That kind of edge of your seat feeling with revelations that are shocking but not in a superficial way, the kind of shocking that makes your stomach clench like you’ve just experienced it in real life.

The tension really builds and builds and I got to a stage where I almost felt like I wanted to skip to the end because I was so desperate to see how the story would be concluded. I managed to refrain thank goodness because I would have really spoiled it for myself.

I loved the inclusion of the legend of Finella, I hadn’t heard of it before but I am keen to find out even more about it now and it was so interesting to see the parallels from it in Ellie’s life. Ellie was a brilliant character, a free-spirited girl who is thrust back into an exceptionally smothering atmosphere at the time of trauma, you can really feel the pull between the two wanting to be free but not wanting to leave certain members of her family behind.

There was a part of the story that I did get a little confused by which is why after all that gushing I’m rating it 4.5 instead of 5, unfortunately, I can’t shed light on it because it would very much spoil it, I’m not sure if it was a product of my reading too fast or if it was just the way one of the revelations happened. It meant that I did go back and have to re-read a part of the story and it did end up breaking the tension just slightly but not enough to completely spoil it.

After reading The Unmaking of Ellie Rook I am eager to get my hands on some more Sandra Ireland books and I would definitely recommend giving this book a read.

Originally posted on everywhere and nowhere

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a truly magical novel that I would defy anyone reading it not to be moved by. How far can you run to get away from yourself?

No matter where in the world you go(and in Ellie's case it's Vietnam), something or someone will eventually pull you home-whether duty or a longing to reconnect, this happens to Ellie when her mother goes missing, and is presumed dead.

Her connection to a Pictish queen via her name, the location of her mother's disappearance (the site of Finella, the Pictish Queen's defiant last act) all conspire to bring Ellie head long into confrontation with the girl she used to be and the woman she is now.

Sandra Ireland creates a character study with real depth and warmth, it's impossible not to ache for childhood Ellie and the longlastin effect that her father's behaviour had. It feels like his phonecall bringing Ellie home is a reminder that no matter where she goes, and for how long, he will always have the power to try and reduce her again.

Was Ellie's mum staging one last final act of defiance in the war against her father or has she truly escaped? And will Ellie ever reconcile herself with her past and finally move on?

Read 'The Unmaking Of Ellie Rook' and find out!

Many thanks to Kelly of Love Books Group for having me along on the blogtour and for my paperback review copy of 'The Unmaking Of Ellie Rook'

[Colin Garrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a phone call interrupts her gap year to bring her home to Scotland, Ellie Rook is faced with the news that her mother has perished after plunging over an infamously dangerous waterfall. Without a body, Ellie and the rest of the family try to make sense of the tragedy, but with a scrap-merchant father who seems untouched by it all and a kid brother whose account doesn’t quite ring true, the young woman struggles to piece together whatever has gone wrong in her mother’s life.

One of the things I love about Sandra Ireland’s writing is her ability to weave myths and legends into her stories, and this one is no different. Brought up on the tale of warrior queen Finella, who jumped to her death after killing a king, protagonist Ellie fights to separate the facts from the small signs around her home and nearby beach that seem to suggest her mother’s presence. Ms Ireland’s prose is deliciously inventive and filled with imagery and evocative descriptions of the surrounding landscape, making this a thrilling, if troubling, read.

[Sophie Andersen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really enjoying this book until around 3/4 in, where the slow build gets derailed by a twist reveal that doesn’t add up. From then on it rushes through events that barely make sense and lack the tension that made this book so good, before clumsily ending with next to nothing resolved. And I’m real sad about it :/

[Mani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Bone Deep a couple of years ago and really liking it I was really looking forward to reading this one.

I loved the atmosphere created in this book it was an exciting read that had me at the edge of my seat as main story unfolded. There was so much tensions building that I couldn’t get to the end fast enough, I just wanted to know how it would all end. I love Sandra’s beautiful descriptions they really made me feel like I was there.

The characters in this book felt very strong and well developed I loved most of them in their own unique way. Oh, except for Elle’s father who was just an a*** in my opinion. My favourite character was definitely Elle. I desperately wanted the to escape everything and be able to live the wonderful life she deserved.

All in all, an intriguing mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. If you like a good mystery with the interesting folklore thrown in then this is a book I highly recommend you give ago. Can’t wait to read more from Sandra Ireland soon.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What starts as one young woman’s summons home in the aftermath of her mother’s death at a local beauty spot, steeped in legend, quickly becomes something altogether darker and more troubling.

Sandra Ireland has made use of folklore before in her writing but nowhere is it more inextricably linked to her modern-day story than here in The Unmaking of Ellie Rook. Ellie was named for the Queen whose escape from those pursuing her became the stuff of legend.

It’s a story her mother, Imelda, told her time and time again, almost as if in doing so she was strengthening her for the trials to come and binding an enchantment around her. Yet the life Ellie left behind her and to which she now returns is far from enchanted or romantic, and she will need to channel all the courage of her namesake in order to deal with some very real demons.

This is the story of a family living on the edge in so many ways: they are the outsiders, living a secluded life on their own rural compound, and subject to the irrationality of controlling rules and behaviour. The forest and waterfall over which the Queen made her escape back on to their property and traces of that long-ago chase and more recent troubled memories still seem to stalk the land about them.

Sandra Ireland’s descriptions are poetic even when describing that which is stark and brutal. She conjures up this family and their forest dwelling incredibly well. I was willing Ellie on to stay strong, find a way to keep herself and her brother, River, safe, while also uncovering the truth behind Imelda’s disappearance before it too found its way into local lore and legend.

An immersive, evocative read where haunting folklore mirrors more contemporary brutality.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I thought this book was fantastic. Ellie is called to come home due to tragedy. Thrust back into a life she had tried to escape, she is faced with questions and uncertainty, and a struggle to protect those she loves as well as herself.

Such a great story - I enjoyed reading this so much!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This book kept me hanging on until the very end!

Quite a short book and I found it slow to get into but once I'd read the first couple of chapters I was intrigued to know more...
Great story line and a great page turner.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie Rook is named for huntress Finella who is in a folk tale her mother used to tell her all the time when she was a little girl. Finella was strong and brave and could do anything and Ellie's mum instilled the idea in her girl that she was the same. Despite being close to her mum, Ellie could not bear living with her controlling father any longer and left to see the world. It would be the making of her, her mother told her. Now her mother has disappeared in circumstances worryingly similar to what happened to Finella in the legend. A phone call brings Ellie home to try to find out what has happened to her mother. She finds her father remarkably unmoved by the situation and seemingly expecting to fill her mother's domestic shoes.

As in Sandra Ireland's previous novel, Bone Deep, folklore and legend play an important part in this story as she weaves the story of Finella throughout the book. As I was reading, I could see that the story of Finella had parallels in Ellie's family. There was lots of imagery which Sandra Ireland incorporates beautifully, almost poetically, into the story. Water plays an important part with the waterfall, a river and a beach all being significant. Even Ellie's brother is called River. In folktales, water often represents death, rebirth and washing clean so it was entirely appropriate that water was so important in this book.

As Ellie begins to discover more about what has been happening at home while she has been away, Sandra Ireland creates a growing sense of danger which made for a tense read. Through her characters, she highlights impossible situations that people can find themselves in in their relationships and also how difficult it can be to get out, even though it seems the obvious thing to do to the outside observer.

This may be a relatively short read at just over 200 pages but my goodness there is plenty packed into it. As I read towards the end, I was turning those pages quickly as it headed towards a dramatic and climactic conclusion. A book with dark and dangerous secrets, I really enjoyed The Unmaking of Ellie Rook.

[Kerry Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved both of Sandra Ireland's previous books, so I couldn't wait to read this one; I wasn't disappointed.

I'd taken The Unmaking of Ellie Rook to read on holiday and finished it in a day, but I actually think I would have read it just as quickly regardless of where I was. That could be because, as novels go, it's rather short, however, it's almost certainly because this is a fantastic story - I couldn't put it down.

It begins with a beautiful moment between a young Ellie and her mother, walking in the woods, retelling the tale of Fenella - a beautiful noblewoman who killed King Kenneth II of Scotland, before fleeing to the notorious waterfall now known as the Den of Fenella, her body never found. As an opening chapter, it's endearing, magical and enticing. And as you read further into the novel, its significance becomes apparent.

We follow the grown-up Ellie as she returns from her travels in Asia to her childhood home - a place from where she has tried so desperately to escape - following the disappearance of her mother, who is missing, presumed drowned at the waterfall at the Den of Fenella.

I loved how the main story of the investigation into her mother's disappearance intertwines not only with Ellie's childhood and teenage memories (both good and bad) but also with the legend of the Den of Fenella, a factor that kept me hungrily turning the pages.

The characters in this book are all vivid and strong, and Sandra's descriptions and beautiful use of language meant I was right there in the scrapyard with them every step of the way. I desperately wanted Ellie to succeed, to finally face up to the awful truths of her past, to finally escape.

I did get a little confused with a small part of the story towards the end, but I have a tendency to 'skim' read when I'm enjoying a book, and I wonder if I perhaps missed something in my zealousness, and it in no way impeded my enjoyment.

This is a fantastic book, cleverly-crafted, and beautifully written.

I would definitely recommend it.

[Misfits farm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Unmaking of Ellie Rook by Sandra Ireland 1st July- Kelly
(*Trigger warning* domestic abuse ) Ellie was in Vietnam when she got a phone call from home saying something dreadful had happened. She arrives back to find her family adrift, other than her father who wants to carry on as if everything is alright his typical approach to anything, always acting as king of the scrap. Her brother River and his mother were walking by the local waterfall which they know very well. River turned and suddenly his mother was gone. The police have searched the local area, river,rocks and local sea area but nothing has been found. Ellie lives on a scrapyard and her mother’s long time friend lives in a caravan on site. Over the next few days Ellie remembers things from her past- Her first love Liam who married her one time rival and they are now splitting. She also remembers her father’s treatment of her mother and how she and Ellie were regarded as “his property”. A book of life, of secrets and memories. Of traumas and how sometimes the littlest thing can trigger something we thought we had completely forgotten. I wasn’t prepared for how this would play out and the memories it triggered. There is nothing to put you off your dinner but for anyone who has suffered abuse of any kind- please be aware- hence my first few words. A dominant figure, a possible narcissist and the lengths some will go to in order to escape. A book of hope and ultimately revenge.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nicki’sbookblog

[Rae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Ireland’s third novel, The Unmaking of Ellie Rook cements her place as the queen of Scottish folklore-inspired domestic noir. Loosely based around the legend of Finella, a noblewoman who lured a Scottish king to his death in revenge for the murder of her son, The Unmaking of Ellie Rook is a contemporary work exploring family secrets, abusive relationships and love.

Ellie Rook is working abroad when she receives a phone call from Scotland that forces her home. Her mother has gone missing near a treacherous waterfall.

As head of the family and owner of a scrap yard, Lawler Rook is obsessed with routine. Whilst Ellie lived as she pleased whilst travelling, on her return she is expected to attend to her father’s demands, which proved frustrating at times. However, the family is close-knit with neighbours and acquaintances regarded as outsiders. The threat of violence circles like a gull on the wing. Memories surface as Ellie questions events from her childhood, making her uncertain whom to trust.

The toxic atmosphere of the scrapyard setting is convincing, building fear and dread, drawing the reader deeper into the enclosed world Lawler has created.

Whilst the focus on abusive relationships is realistic it is also sensitively handled, with scenes thoughtfully balanced rather than shocking for the sake of effect. A further strength of Ireland’s writing is her ability to create a vivid sense of the ancient forest and the east coast beach with its wild, ragged sea.

She employs a deceptively simple writing style that is multi-layered, twisting smoothly. Snappy chapters make it easy to race through a chunk in one sitting. Even the secondary characters, such as Ellie’s brother, River, and Piotr, her love interest, crackle with energy. Ireland’s writing of emotion is confident and assured. A family drama/thriller that quickly draws the reader in ...

[Rod Maidmont · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an enchanting tale with increasingly darker undertones, referencing the legend of Finella that underpins the narrative.

The title character, Ellie Rook, returns home when her mother is missing, presumed dead. With a gentle pace and lightness of touch, Sandra Ireland reveals Ellie's back story and the dynamics of the clannish Rook family, always the outsiders. The more we learn, the more we fear as Ellie's father grows more menacing with every chapter.

When the truth is revealed, the tension becomes unbearable, as it seems as if evil must triumph over good. The ending is as nail-biting as it is satisfying and I laid Ellie Rook down with real regret.

Sandra's writing draws me in to the worlds she creates and leaves me thinking of her characters long after I've closed the book. I can't wait for her next book.

[Angie Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ellie Rook, who as a child, spent most of her days, running wild, dirty and getting into fights, leaving home in the Scrapyard, gentle mother, brother and bullying father behind , she finally goes traveling, backpacking round Vietnam, until the one phone call that changes her life forever.
Her mother is missing, drowned people are saying, but each witness has a different story.
Is there a connection between Finella, whom her mother told the most wonder stories about and her disappearance?
Sandra Ireland writes the most delicious stories, with Gothic overtones, that always leave her readers hungry for more, and this is no exception.

[Janina Glover · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG. Once I started I couldn't stop and read till 2.30 in the night, and then couldn't sleep for a racing heart.
Although there is a magic story at the centre of the book, the story has nothing to do with magic (as in the fantasy genre) - rather the opposite. For me it was about coming to terms with your parents own story which you seem so carefully shielded from when you are small. Except of course you always get glimpses which you then try to unsee - and then, later, you remember, and finally put 2 and 2 together. Really amazing book.

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh god, this is a tough book to review. I wanted to find out how the story ends but I didn't want to actually read it and kept putting it off. Why? Because of a pretty realistic portrayal of domestic abuse and that's tough to read. It is dark in a desolate, hopeless way (until it isn't and there is a glimmer of hope). It does an excellent job of invoking the deep-in-your-stomach dread and the sense that the situation is outside of your control and nothing will ever change... until it does. Until you do. It's emotional, it's raw, it's realistic. It will make you feel things, but they won't be pleasant.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was asked to review this book by Lovereading and as it was the Easter break I was really keen to sit outside in the sunshine and read this intriguing novel.

Ellie fed up with her life leavers behind her mother, father and brother and goes off to Europe. a phone call brings her back. Various stories emerge regarding her mothers disappearance - has she drowned or what has happened.

Ellie has to confront the past and decide if folklore has something to do with her mother.

This was so intriguing mystery with folklore woven into the story - I could not put this book down I had to keep reading to the end.

Well written and an author with Scottish and Celtic background an interest in folklore

All together a great read, due for publication in July 2019 and in time for the summer holidays.

[Charlotte Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very well written and packs a real punch in it's 197 or so pages.
The characters are incredibly well written, with every subtle gesture telling you more and more. I have seen another review include a trigger warning in their comments for domestic abuse and it's definitely should be flagged. The plot development is brilliant, mixing the elements of crime fiction, the legend of Finella, the family drama of Ellie and her brother and father as well as relationship stories all interwoven. There's so much story packed in to do few pages and for a brief while I lived transcriptase with Ellie as Sheffield to come to terms with her mother's disappearance, keep a sense of her own identity and hold her family together.
I don't think "enjoyed" is the right way to describe how I felt as I read, but I'm glad I did and it's a perfect book for anyone who likes complex crime/literary fiction. There's the disappearance of Ellie's mother in the forefront but this book is also a more in-depth look in to humans in a way that I felt was quite literary too.

[sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t actually know what to say, I was left a bit speechless by the time I had raced through the book, devouring it. It’s one staying on my forever shelf’s and a tale that will stay with me for a long time to come. My full review is up on the blog. As part of the love books group blog tour

[Jane Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a lot of thoughts in regards to this book, unsure exactly of my rating but I believe 4.5 is what it will settle at. Had a few issues at the ending, but otherwise a great book.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Unmaking of Ellie Rook has various depths that touch upon unsettling themes, from family toxicity to the dynamic pecking order within a hostile family situation. The Rooks live a very independent life in terms of dealing with aspects of family life with minimal outside socialisation. This changes when Ellie is drawn back home after her mother has disappeared, she returns to her childhood as soon as she steps over her father's doors threshold. Sandra Ireland coaxes you into the Rook's life with a disaster that would bring any normal family together; with Ellie picking up her mum's side of the house work as the police are in high searching mode, nothing is at all what it seems. The veil of familial life begins to fall bit by bit, this made me as a reader feel quite on edge and paranoid.

This novel wasn't what I expected at all, it was more. The Unmaking of Ellie Rook is a domestic psychological thriller that is sneaks up on you in such a poetically subtle way that I thought that I was reading it wrong. The way that the chapters are written, it by every day occurring after Ellie's arrival. With every day that passes the storyline becomes evermore tension filled with multiple confrontations and revelations. We learn early on about tensions within the family, that are gasp worthy and add to the captivating power of the novel.

It is apparent that Sandra carefully planned how the storyline would develop and begin to unravel in a natural manner. The way that some chapters included snippets of Ellie's childhood memories solidified the strength of the characters, as well as creating a feeling of 'reflection in hindsight - all the puzzle pieces were falling into place for us a couple of seconds before Ellie. Although the narrative was written first person, you completely felt as though you were there in Ellie's head and watching the crumbling of the novel through her eyes. The name of the novel completely reflects the words within it, the story is Ellie's realisation of what her family is really like; by coming home after time away, she is seeing it through new eyes. What unfolds will make sure that family life is never the same again.

I started this read the day that it came through my letterbox and I finished it that same night, squeezing a chapter in when I could. For me The Unmaking Of Ellie Rook was a simple to follow, captivating read. I was shook! Recommended!

[Em-Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is up there with my best reads of the year so far.  Brilliantly written, fast-paced, I finished this in 2 gulps.

A story of psychological and physical abuse within a family, with members torn between getting away for their own survival, or coming together to protect each other.

Despite being close to her mother, Ellie leaves home to escape the clutches of her controlling father and start afresh.  Then the phone call comes through - Ellie's mum has disappeared, assumed to have fallen into a local waterfall with a shallow rock bed.  Her brother, River, isn't sure what happened - he was with her - one minute she's there, the next she's gone.  It's all very similar to a local folklore legend, which the story interlinks with.

As Ellie tries to discover what happened to her mother and why, terrible secrets are unveiled about her father. Memories of her childhood come flooding back, mostly bad, recalling first loves and images of her controlling  father.

There are some scenes of emotional and physical abuse within the book which some might find disturbing/upsetting, but Ireland handles this issue with a deft, sensitive touch.

I inhaled this book in a couple of sittings; it's an excellent story of a family filled with secrets - it's tense, sad, exciting, menacing and touching. Definitely up there for a read of the year so far.  I was taken aback at how much I enjoyed this book, despite the subjects covered being difficult to read at points - this is just testament to Ireland's skill. It's at times dark, but at once a beautiful read.

[Gwennypenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The story says Finella may have survived the fall, that she was washed into the sea and picked up by a boat.”

Ellie Rook’s mother has disappeared, supposedly fallen from the waterfall at the Den of Finella, just like the heroine of the story from Ellie’s childhood. Did she fall? Was she pushed? Or does this story have more to tell?

This is a strange little book – part domestic drama, part crime fiction, and sprinkled with just a little folklore, it has just enough darkness and tension to keep you reading until the end.

It centres on the Rooks, a family who live and work in the town scrapyard, who’re viewed with suspicion by the local community, and the disappearance/suspected suicide of their mother.

As the tale progresses, Ellie begins to remember the darkness and violence that surrounded the family as she was growing up.

Determined to get answers to her mother’s disappearance, she begins to investigate on her own, and finally uncovers the truth.

I feel that the folklore and mythology aspect of this book was oversold, as it’s a solid mystery novel, with a strong and relatable protagonist, that comes to a fairly satisfying conclusion.

It’s a little thin, there are no wow moments, and the tale unfolds just as you think it will. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but that’s not always a bad thing.

Overall, it was a good read, a solid 3 stars.

Thanks to Love Reading and the publishers for an ARC of this.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received copy of this book in order to review for the blog tour. All opinions are my own

You know sometimes a book just blows you away and you can’t even really explain why? The Unmaking of Ellie Rook is one of those books for me.

I was completely and utterly sucked into Ellie’s story. I went through her emotions with her. I was really on the edge along with everything that was happening to her. And most of all I really cared.

While it’s ‘labelled’ as a psychological thriller, it borders into a hard hitting family drama. It wasn’t the easiest read but definitely a powerful one.

I will say to be a little wary about the contents, in particular abuse and family issues. But if you can handle that I highly recommend this read.

I don’t give many 5 star ratings, but this thoroughly deserves it. Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year. Now I need to make my way through Sandra Ireland’s earlier releases!

[Mary Picken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sandra Ireland is carving out rather a nice niche for herself, taking some of the ancient folk tales of Scotland and turning them into contemporary allegorical stories, full of rich imagery and delicate, poetic accounts. I loved Bone Deep and The Unmaking of Ellie Rook is equally strong.

Ellie Rook is a young woman recently returned home from her travels abroad to her family’s scrapyard business in rural Aberdeenshire after a phone call tells her that her mother has gone missing. The Rook family is a closed one, distant from their neighbours. The patriarch, Lawler rules his household with a rod of iron and it was to escape this stifling, rigid, atmosphere that Ellie originally left home.

Ellie’s mother loved the woods and named her daughter after the huntress Finella, a huntress who, Ellie’s mum used to tell her, was strong and brave. Ellie was encouraged by her mum to believe that she could do anything; her namesake instilling into her the confidence that her father’s upbringing sought to quash.

It was Ellie’s mother who encouraged her to leave the nest and fly away, leaving her brother, River, behind with his parents. Now Ellie’s mother has disappeared, and the fear is that she has been claimed by the woods and the water she loved so much; that she has fallen off a cliff and been swept away in a death that echoes Finella’s end.

Returning home, Ellie finds that little has changed and that her father sees her return as only right, now she can take over the household’s domestic chores that her mother used to fulfill.

Coming home reawakens in Ellie the sense of aloneness and incipient violence that always lurked around the corner when she was growing up. Lawler carries that overweening arrogance that comes from being the master of his household where his word is law and nothing gets in his way. To add to that sense, Lawler employs a long time sidekick, Offshore Dave, whose job is to make sure that Lawler’s business is carried on without any outside interference. The Rook way is to have nothing to do with authorities and the disappearance of her mother will not change that.

Ireland ably creates a tense and dramatic scenario in which Ellie relives parts of her childhood while searching desperately for her mother and trying to make sense of the information she has been given. She sees her brother, River, becoming more like her father every day and fears for his future should that happen.

The reader is drawn into this family’s life and as observers, begins to divine what kind of life Ellie’s mother must have had to live. These are dark and disturbing domestic secrets; the kind where you really don’t want to know what went on behind the closed iron gates of the scrapyard, but you are unable to escape the horrible conclusions that arise in your mind.

The Unmaking of Ellie Rook is a seamless blend of folklore and contemporary storytelling that shines a light on dramatic and dangerous family domestics and the insular behaviour that can characterise those who live on the fringes of rural life.

The characters are well drawn and the sense of menace that she packs into her pages is both palpable and chilling.

Verdict: A beautifully written, well-crafted story that packs a big punch. Full of beautiful imagery and allegory, this is a story that has resonance beyond its pages. Highly recommended.

[Caroline Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read Sandra’s previous two books, both of which I thoroughly enjoyed, I picked this one up to take on holiday with me. Being on holiday, I managed to read this in a day - but even if I hadn’t been on holiday I would have wanted to keep reading this and get through it as quickly as I could.

I loved that the author weaved her book around the legend of Finella, just as she did in Bone Deep. Although Scottish, it is not a tale I am familiar with so I was intrigued to find out more about the legend and how that would work into the story.

Ellie is a well written character and I was rooting for her throughout the book, willing her to stay strong, to get through this. When her first love is reintroduced to her life, initially the romantic in me wanted that to be rekindled, for it to work out for her. Having read the book, I am so glad that didn’t happen (that comes from the realist in me!). As more about her family life, unfolds, it is easy to see why Ellie wanted to get away, to escape from her life. But family ties bring her back - and I think most people in those circumstances, no matter how bad their childhood had been, would do the same.

There was a part in the book where I got a little confused and wondered if I had missed something, but I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone. It may just have been that I missed something earlier in the book but I have to admit, that part left me doing a little head scratching and having to go back a little. Having said that, it didn’t stop me enjoying the book thoroughly and whilst I have marked it 4 stars, I would in reality say it was worth 4.5 stars.

Can’t wait to see what legend might prove the basis for the next book.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Compelling, unexpected, unique in so many ways" says the cover blurb & I can't argue with that at all.

This is a gripping & atmospheric tale about Ellie Rook, a young woman who has escaped the family home but returns in later years due to the disappearance of her mother. Her mother's presumed drowned...or is she simply missing? The family doesn't know but one thing I do know is that after seeing what life with her father is like I can understand why Ellie wanted to get away! That's one nasty man...

This is a relatively short novel but it's pages certainly pack a punch. It's very atmospheric & the tension builds beautifully - it all got quite nerve-wracking! It's so nice to find a psychological thriller that actually surprised me with one of it's revelations.

Of course as a sucker for tales of myths & folklore, I loved the way the legend of Finella (who I've since googled up on) was woven in & with the way the disappearance of Ellie's mother mirrored this legend.

Overall a gripping tale & I wholeheartedly agree with the comment (from goodreads as it happens) on the back cover:

"The ending is as nail-biting as it is satisfying, and I laid Ellie Rook down with real regret. "

[Karen Huxtable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Kelly at Love Book Group Tours for the invitation to the tour and to Polygon for the gifted copy of the book.

I knew the book was about a girl Ellie who had left her home and family to start a new life but wow! there was so much more to it than that.



I loved tension that the author manages to instil in this story and the writing so descriptive that I had no trouble at all imagining that I was there at Rooks Scrapyard with Ellie and her dysfunctional family.



The story is written in the present tense but it also has flashbacks to Ellie’s teenage years which uncovers more about the history of her time growing up.



I really loved the character of Ellie she is strong and ballsy and I was willing her on throughout the book until the conclusion which I am not going to share as I do not want to spoil it for anyone.



Dark, manipulative and tense, a really excellent read that I could not put down and several times I shouted out loud at the end of chapters when they finished on a gripping cliff-hanger. I will definitely be seeking out Sandra’s other books.



One of my favourite reads of the year so far.

[Ellie Ness · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one of those books that frustrated me because I wanted the main character to tell the truth to the right people at an earlier stage in the narrative.
The story revolves around a family who have skirted the law for all of Ellie’s life. Ellie is called back from a working holiday because her mother has jumped off a cliff path when out with her fifteen year old son. No body turns up and so the police dial back their searches but various neighbours organise a private search party which again turns up nothing. The family is under the complete control of the father and Ellie doesn’t know who to trust- her old boyfriend, her aggressive brother, the scrapyard workers, the police? I’ll give you a clue - she should have trusted the police but because she doesn’t everything just gets worse and worse. The author wrote the story to give the women who feel suicide is the only way out a voice.
3.5/5 stars