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Our Fathers
What kind of man kills his own family?
When Tom was eight years old, his father took a shotgun and shot his family: his wife, his son and baby daughter, before turning the gun on himself. Only Tom survived.
He left his tiny, shocked community on the island of Litta and the strained silence of his Uncle Malcolm’s house while still a young boy. For twenty years he’s tried to escape his past. Until now.
Without knowing how to ask, he needs answers – from his uncle, who should have known. From his neighbours, who think his father a decent man who ‘just snapped’. From the memories that haunt the wild landscape of the Hebrides.
And from the silent ones who know more about what happened – and why – than they have ever dared admit.
By turns gripping, beautiful, devastating and tender, Our Fathers is a story about violence and redemption, control and love. With understated compassion and humour, Rebecca Wait gives a voice to the silenced and to the silences between men of few words.
A gripping, tender novel about fathers and sons from the highly acclaimed author
A Guardian crime and thriller book of the year 2020
‘This is a beautifully realised novel, touching on the fallibility of memory and the unknowability of families, and gripping in its intensity. Outstanding’ Mail on Sunday
‘A spectacular novel’ Spectator
When Tom was eight years old, his father took a shotgun and shot his family: his wife, his son and baby daughter, before turning the gun on himself. Only Tom survived.
He left his tiny, shocked community on the island of Litta and the strained silence of his Uncle Malcolm’s house while still a young boy. For twenty years he’s tried to escape his past. Until now.
Without knowing how to ask, he needs answers – from his uncle, who should have known. From his neighbours, who think his father a decent man who ‘just snapped’. From the memories that haunt the wild landscape of the Hebrides.
And from the silent ones who know more about what happened – and why – than they have ever dared admit.
By turns gripping, beautiful, devastating and tender, Our Fathers is a story about violence and redemption, control and love. With understated compassion and humour, Rebecca Wait gives a voice to the silenced and to the silences between men of few words.
A gripping, tender novel about fathers and sons from the highly acclaimed author
A Guardian crime and thriller book of the year 2020
‘This is a beautifully realised novel, touching on the fallibility of memory and the unknowability of families, and gripping in its intensity. Outstanding’ Mail on Sunday
‘A spectacular novel’ Spectator
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 11, 2020
63 people are currently reading
1789 people want to read
About the author
Rebecca Wait
6 books311 followersRebecca Wait is the author of five novels, most recently Havoc.
I’m Sorry You Feel That Way was a book of the year for The Times, Guardian, Express, Good Housekeeping and BBC Culture, and was shortlisted for the Nota Bene Prize.
Our Fathers, received widespread acclaim and was a Guardian book of the year and a thriller of the month for Waterstones.
I’m Sorry You Feel That Way was a book of the year for The Times, Guardian, Express, Good Housekeeping and BBC Culture, and was shortlisted for the Nota Bene Prize.
Our Fathers, received widespread acclaim and was a Guardian book of the year and a thriller of the month for Waterstones.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 217 reviews
January 11, 2023
A deeply moving, thought provoking and so beautifully a written story that it sent shivers down my spine.
What kind of Man Kills his own family? When Tom was eight years old, his father took a shotgun and shot his family, his wife, his son and baby daughter, before turning the gun on himself, Only Tom Survived. Twenty years later Tom returns to the Island and to the memories that have been haunting him.
I picked this one up after seeing a review in a magazine and for me books like this only come around once in awhile. The week I read this book a similar tragedy happened here in Ireland and make this read more poignant and unsettling for me.
Firstly Rebecca Wait is a remarkable writer as she draws you in with her wonderful writing and creates vivid images of people and places. The book is set on a fictional Scottish Island and creates a wonderful backdrop for the story as you feel immersed in the tight knit community and experience through words the starkness and remoteness of Island life.
This is not a graphic novel but the opening chapters really set the scene for this story, as we watch a community come to terms with the aftermath of a terrible tragedy and how memory can play a cruel part in the healing process. Tom searches for answers through flashbacks of memory and the Islanders harbor their own regrets and secrets.
This is a short novel but not a word is wasted as the author weaves a very believable and heart breaking fictional account of a terrible tragedy and a community dealing with the aftermath.
I think Rebecca Wait has written a very emotional and insightful novel and I could not put this one down. I am so delighted I purchased a hard copy of this novel for my real life bookshelf.
What kind of Man Kills his own family? When Tom was eight years old, his father took a shotgun and shot his family, his wife, his son and baby daughter, before turning the gun on himself, Only Tom Survived. Twenty years later Tom returns to the Island and to the memories that have been haunting him.
I picked this one up after seeing a review in a magazine and for me books like this only come around once in awhile. The week I read this book a similar tragedy happened here in Ireland and make this read more poignant and unsettling for me.
Firstly Rebecca Wait is a remarkable writer as she draws you in with her wonderful writing and creates vivid images of people and places. The book is set on a fictional Scottish Island and creates a wonderful backdrop for the story as you feel immersed in the tight knit community and experience through words the starkness and remoteness of Island life.
This is not a graphic novel but the opening chapters really set the scene for this story, as we watch a community come to terms with the aftermath of a terrible tragedy and how memory can play a cruel part in the healing process. Tom searches for answers through flashbacks of memory and the Islanders harbor their own regrets and secrets.
This is a short novel but not a word is wasted as the author weaves a very believable and heart breaking fictional account of a terrible tragedy and a community dealing with the aftermath.
I think Rebecca Wait has written a very emotional and insightful novel and I could not put this one down. I am so delighted I purchased a hard copy of this novel for my real life bookshelf.
September 28, 2025
VERITÀ NEGATA
Un’opera degli artisti finlandesi Pekka Niittyvirta e Timo Aho per il Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum di Lochmaddy (Ebridi).
Siamo dalle parti di Patricia Highsmith, e forse sì, anche Simenon non è poi tanto lontano: una storia che sviluppa suspense poggiando più sulla psicologia dei personaggi coinvolti che su accadimenti e colpi di scena.
L’episodio che genera il nucleo della trama è un (purtroppo) tipico caso di cronaca nera: strage familiare. Il padre spara alla moglie, alla figlia più piccola, 3 anni, al figlio più grande, 10 anni, e poi a se stesso. Tre omicidi seguiti da un suicidio. L’uomo che ha pigiato più volte il grilletto, caricato e scaricato l’arma (fucile da caccia), ha risparmiato il figlio di mezzo, 8 anni, Tom, che se non diventa il protagonista dell’intera vicenda, ci va comunque molto vicino. Lo risparmia non perché sia il suo figlio prediletto: il preferito era l’altro, Nicky, che invece uccide senza esitare. Lo risparmia forse perché Tom è stato bravo a nascondersi: o forse per un altro motivo, che si potrebbe scoprire leggendo fino alla fine, o non scoprire mai.
In ogni caso, lo condanna a essere un sopravvissuto.
Più che ai motivi, Rebecca Wait è interessata a quelli che per qualcuno potrebbero essere aspetti marginali. Preferisce raccontarci per bene la vittima numero uno, la madre e moglie, alla quale dedica l’intera seconda parte del libro nel corso di un flashback che dura alcune decine di pagine; preferisce raccontarci l’unico sopravvissuto alla strage, Tom, condannato a ricordare senza riuscire a dimenticare.
O la gente intorno, amici e parenti, tutti in qualche modo vicini e coinvolti.
Perché, aspetto basilare, la storia è ambientata in un isolotto con un centinaio di abitanti, una delle isole più piccole dell’arcipelago delle Ebridi, isole al largo della costa occidentale scozzese, sparpagliate nell’oceano Atlantico (paradiso dei single malt: ma qui di whiskey ne scorre poco, e qualcuno sembra proprio non gradirlo, preferendo vino o birra o sherry). Litta, il nome dell’isolotto, significa un traghetto che viene due volte a settimana impiegando un paio d’ore; significa un solo negozio, un solo pub, che è il bar dell’albergo, aperto solo quando ci sono turisti; significa che ciascuno esercita più di un mestiere; che è meglio non farsi male, il medico è uno solo e probabilmente si occupa di umani e animali.
Significa solitudine, isolamento, vento, pioggia, scogli, onde, il cielo e il mare alla fine del mondo. Significa che ci si conosce tutti, ognuno sa più o meno tutto degli altri, nascondere qualcosa è assai difficile. Ma significa anche silenzi, di quelli che celano, che eludono. E significa, essere vicini, essere coinvolti, quando non partecipi.
Mi è piaciuta la scelta di Rebecca Wait di non perdere tempo a indagare le “ragioni” dell’assassino (che comunque non rimangono ignote): la cronaca dedica già tanto spazio ai cosiddetti “mostri”, che almeno la letteratura vada in altra direzione.
Un thriller fatto d’atmosfera, di personaggi, di luoghi, non certo di colpi di scena.
Un’opera degli artisti finlandesi Pekka Niittyvirta e Timo Aho per il Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum di Lochmaddy (Ebridi).
Siamo dalle parti di Patricia Highsmith, e forse sì, anche Simenon non è poi tanto lontano: una storia che sviluppa suspense poggiando più sulla psicologia dei personaggi coinvolti che su accadimenti e colpi di scena.
L’episodio che genera il nucleo della trama è un (purtroppo) tipico caso di cronaca nera: strage familiare. Il padre spara alla moglie, alla figlia più piccola, 3 anni, al figlio più grande, 10 anni, e poi a se stesso. Tre omicidi seguiti da un suicidio. L’uomo che ha pigiato più volte il grilletto, caricato e scaricato l’arma (fucile da caccia), ha risparmiato il figlio di mezzo, 8 anni, Tom, che se non diventa il protagonista dell’intera vicenda, ci va comunque molto vicino. Lo risparmia non perché sia il suo figlio prediletto: il preferito era l’altro, Nicky, che invece uccide senza esitare. Lo risparmia forse perché Tom è stato bravo a nascondersi: o forse per un altro motivo, che si potrebbe scoprire leggendo fino alla fine, o non scoprire mai.
In ogni caso, lo condanna a essere un sopravvissuto.
Più che ai motivi, Rebecca Wait è interessata a quelli che per qualcuno potrebbero essere aspetti marginali. Preferisce raccontarci per bene la vittima numero uno, la madre e moglie, alla quale dedica l’intera seconda parte del libro nel corso di un flashback che dura alcune decine di pagine; preferisce raccontarci l’unico sopravvissuto alla strage, Tom, condannato a ricordare senza riuscire a dimenticare.
O la gente intorno, amici e parenti, tutti in qualche modo vicini e coinvolti.
Perché, aspetto basilare, la storia è ambientata in un isolotto con un centinaio di abitanti, una delle isole più piccole dell’arcipelago delle Ebridi, isole al largo della costa occidentale scozzese, sparpagliate nell’oceano Atlantico (paradiso dei single malt: ma qui di whiskey ne scorre poco, e qualcuno sembra proprio non gradirlo, preferendo vino o birra o sherry). Litta, il nome dell’isolotto, significa un traghetto che viene due volte a settimana impiegando un paio d’ore; significa un solo negozio, un solo pub, che è il bar dell’albergo, aperto solo quando ci sono turisti; significa che ciascuno esercita più di un mestiere; che è meglio non farsi male, il medico è uno solo e probabilmente si occupa di umani e animali.
Significa solitudine, isolamento, vento, pioggia, scogli, onde, il cielo e il mare alla fine del mondo. Significa che ci si conosce tutti, ognuno sa più o meno tutto degli altri, nascondere qualcosa è assai difficile. Ma significa anche silenzi, di quelli che celano, che eludono. E significa, essere vicini, essere coinvolti, quando non partecipi.
Mi è piaciuta la scelta di Rebecca Wait di non perdere tempo a indagare le “ragioni” dell’assassino (che comunque non rimangono ignote): la cronaca dedica già tanto spazio ai cosiddetti “mostri”, che almeno la letteratura vada in altra direzione.
Un thriller fatto d’atmosfera, di personaggi, di luoghi, non certo di colpi di scena.
December 14, 2019
This is a most moving and gripping novel touching the subject of family violence, both verbal and physical, and of consequences of surviving a horrific tragedy witnessed as a child. Is violence towards family members something one cannot escape from in adult life, having experienced it in childhood?
This is not a murder mystery, but everything that is revealed gradually regarding several families living on a small island in the Hybrides, did keep me on the edge on my chair. The island itself, with its severe weather, harsh living conditions it offers, terrain and isolation from the mainland, is atmospheric and is a character itself in the novel.
Writing and narration are superb, and truly deserve high praise.
A thank-you to Rebecca Wait, Quercus Books and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
This is not a murder mystery, but everything that is revealed gradually regarding several families living on a small island in the Hybrides, did keep me on the edge on my chair. The island itself, with its severe weather, harsh living conditions it offers, terrain and isolation from the mainland, is atmospheric and is a character itself in the novel.
Writing and narration are superb, and truly deserve high praise.
A thank-you to Rebecca Wait, Quercus Books and NetGalley for arc in exchange for my honest review.*
June 20, 2020
A beautifully written quiet novel that I am so glad I read.
On a remote island in the Scotland Hebrides, a family murder-suicide occurs with only one son left alive who witnessed the tragic event. Twenty years later, the son decides to return to his isolated birthplace and shows up on his uncle’s doorstep. With haunting and emotional prose, Rebecca Waite describes what it is like to be a survivor....the memories that one can never forget...the guilt that tears a person apart. Uncle and nephew bring to light moments that should have given them a hint as to what could happen, but was overlooked or ignored. Verbal abuse is a violence that can be hidden so well. The author shows how easy it is for a small community to be shown a bright side of a person who hides what a personality can really be like at home.
This novel is so moving it was hard to put down. The author’s description of the weather-punishing island in the Hebrides is so atmospheric. I loved every page of this book. Although written about a crime, it is a book more about the characters and the community. It’s about emotions. Their fears that this boy comes back in their midst and secrets will emerge. The memories that people want to forget.
Thank you Beata for your review that spoke to me so well.
5 out of 5 unforgettable stars
On a remote island in the Scotland Hebrides, a family murder-suicide occurs with only one son left alive who witnessed the tragic event. Twenty years later, the son decides to return to his isolated birthplace and shows up on his uncle’s doorstep. With haunting and emotional prose, Rebecca Waite describes what it is like to be a survivor....the memories that one can never forget...the guilt that tears a person apart. Uncle and nephew bring to light moments that should have given them a hint as to what could happen, but was overlooked or ignored. Verbal abuse is a violence that can be hidden so well. The author shows how easy it is for a small community to be shown a bright side of a person who hides what a personality can really be like at home.
This novel is so moving it was hard to put down. The author’s description of the weather-punishing island in the Hebrides is so atmospheric. I loved every page of this book. Although written about a crime, it is a book more about the characters and the community. It’s about emotions. Their fears that this boy comes back in their midst and secrets will emerge. The memories that people want to forget.
Thank you Beata for your review that spoke to me so well.
5 out of 5 unforgettable stars
December 3, 2023
Waterstones picks for Thriller of the month have always been on point. This was another great recommendation from the British book chain.
Straight from the prologue, I knew this was going to be a captivating read.
A traumatic opening as a father takes a shot gun and kills his family and himself, only young Tom survived having huddled in his parents wardrobe.
The narrative is set twenty years latet as Tom returns to the small Scottish Island seeking the truth.
There's a nice mystery running throughout the story as to why a seemingly decent man would suddenly commit an atrocious attack.
The ramifications are still felt amongst the community is strong, one interesting aspect that the author includes was Tom sharing a passing resemblance to his father.
This was such a captivating read, one that focuses on the lasting effects and memories surrounding a shocking incident.
Straight from the prologue, I knew this was going to be a captivating read.
A traumatic opening as a father takes a shot gun and kills his family and himself, only young Tom survived having huddled in his parents wardrobe.
The narrative is set twenty years latet as Tom returns to the small Scottish Island seeking the truth.
There's a nice mystery running throughout the story as to why a seemingly decent man would suddenly commit an atrocious attack.
The ramifications are still felt amongst the community is strong, one interesting aspect that the author includes was Tom sharing a passing resemblance to his father.
This was such a captivating read, one that focuses on the lasting effects and memories surrounding a shocking incident.
November 23, 2019
Despite a horrific massacre at the heart of events, this is a quiet novel that has a tangible air of fragility and melancholy about it. Characters are adrift or lonely, many are grieving or suffering from secret guilt, and the small island adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere throughout.
Wait recounts her story in clear, unfussy prose which has enough pliancy to convey hard subjects with ease. The only thing I'd say is that while this isn't a crime novel, it covers much of the same ground I've seen in recent crime fiction: the survivor who returns home to come to terms with his past, guilt and secrets in a small community, the unknowable at the heart of other people's domestic lives. In that sense this feels like a very familiar story, albeit told with a close attention to character and emotion.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
Wait recounts her story in clear, unfussy prose which has enough pliancy to convey hard subjects with ease. The only thing I'd say is that while this isn't a crime novel, it covers much of the same ground I've seen in recent crime fiction: the survivor who returns home to come to terms with his past, guilt and secrets in a small community, the unknowable at the heart of other people's domestic lives. In that sense this feels like a very familiar story, albeit told with a close attention to character and emotion.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley
March 16, 2020
Als gleich zu Beginn eine schreckliche Familientragödie
die Bewohner einer kleinen schottischen Insel erschüttert,
erwartet so mancher Leser eine spannende Geschichte.
Aber die Fronten sind von Anfang an geklärt, statt dessen
setzt die Autorin auf die Darstellung psychischer Probleme
ihres Protagonisten, der das Verbrechen als einziger überlebte.
Für Leser, die das mögen, sicher ein wunderbarer Roman,
geschrieben in einer klaren, leicht verständlichen Sprache.
die Bewohner einer kleinen schottischen Insel erschüttert,
erwartet so mancher Leser eine spannende Geschichte.
Aber die Fronten sind von Anfang an geklärt, statt dessen
setzt die Autorin auf die Darstellung psychischer Probleme
ihres Protagonisten, der das Verbrechen als einziger überlebte.
Für Leser, die das mögen, sicher ein wunderbarer Roman,
geschrieben in einer klaren, leicht verständlichen Sprache.
May 7, 2023
"He knew as well as anyone what a strange darkness the past was, how we plucked pieces from it and refitted them to our own purposes. The past was a story we told ourselves."
This is a book that tells you what happens within the first few pages and then dissects the life of a man who was a sole survivor of a tragedy and the guilt that it caused up to this point and how it will affect his life until the day he dies. I believe the author (Rebecca Wait) takes her time with each character, molding them in a way that perfectly describes the type of person they are. These characters aren't one-dimensional; they are shaped by the environment they came from. There are three main characters:
Husband: Kills family because he's losing control over his life and the people he loves. As a child he had no control and never felt loved, so in adulthood, control is what he seeks. Once he controlled them in life, so now he will control when they die.
Wife: Latches on to the one man that will set her free from the memory of an absent alcoholic father and the controlling, narcissistic mother. As she realizes she is about to die, she recounts what a life it would've been if she had never existed and also if she could live one more day. A common contradiction.
The Island: The personification of a people that live on that are in denial of who the husband really was and what they could've done about it. The blame is not of the island, but of who remains from the tragedy.
Tom Baird, the kid and now man who has lived with this for the last twenty years, is a survivor from death, but not from life; his survival is of the oxygen that he breathes and the blood that runs through his veins, but he is dead on the inside. When you are eight years old and everything is taken away from you, how can you not blame yourself? When you see abuse, when you don't feel safe, when you always feel a little on edge from your environment, that empirical truth is seared into your brain. The amount of hours in that therapy chair will never resolve this issue. The affirmations you listen to and vocalize over and over may momentarily make you feel better, but the realization is this: Yes, you were not at fault, but that pain never leaves.
This is a book that tells you what happens within the first few pages and then dissects the life of a man who was a sole survivor of a tragedy and the guilt that it caused up to this point and how it will affect his life until the day he dies. I believe the author (Rebecca Wait) takes her time with each character, molding them in a way that perfectly describes the type of person they are. These characters aren't one-dimensional; they are shaped by the environment they came from. There are three main characters:
Husband: Kills family because he's losing control over his life and the people he loves. As a child he had no control and never felt loved, so in adulthood, control is what he seeks. Once he controlled them in life, so now he will control when they die.
Wife: Latches on to the one man that will set her free from the memory of an absent alcoholic father and the controlling, narcissistic mother. As she realizes she is about to die, she recounts what a life it would've been if she had never existed and also if she could live one more day. A common contradiction.
The Island: The personification of a people that live on that are in denial of who the husband really was and what they could've done about it. The blame is not of the island, but of who remains from the tragedy.
Tom Baird, the kid and now man who has lived with this for the last twenty years, is a survivor from death, but not from life; his survival is of the oxygen that he breathes and the blood that runs through his veins, but he is dead on the inside. When you are eight years old and everything is taken away from you, how can you not blame yourself? When you see abuse, when you don't feel safe, when you always feel a little on edge from your environment, that empirical truth is seared into your brain. The amount of hours in that therapy chair will never resolve this issue. The affirmations you listen to and vocalize over and over may momentarily make you feel better, but the realization is this: Yes, you were not at fault, but that pain never leaves.
October 28, 2019
Oh this was a beautiful, haunting and extraordinarily melancholy novel from Rebecca Wait, I was gripped by the melodic quality of it and by Tom’s story, the sole survivor of a family annihilation who can’t move on and whose whole existence sticks in that one moment.
The island of Litta is a small, contained community where everyone knows everything…yet still they didn’t see the tragedy coming. We open as Tom returns to Litta after 20 years, turning up unexpectedly on his Uncles doorstep, from there Rebecca Wait paints us a picture, of grief, loss and humanity that is at turns painfully gorgeous and at others heart wrenchingly sad.
The setting comes to raw, intense life around this group of characters, hindsight, retrospective, all play a part in unravelling the depths of what was unseen, the author offering up snapshot moments that show the hidden realities.
I loved it. It was sad, yes, also intensely authentic, with a depth of feeling and perception that is hard to describe.
Highly Recommended.
December 2, 2020
Understated and powerful. Two decades after a horrific series of family murders takes place on Litta, a small island in the Outer Hebrides, Tom Baird, who survived, returns, showing up on the doorstep of his Uncle Malcolm. Atmospheric and vivid, dodging sensationalism and easy resolutions, it's a haunting novel.
January 17, 2022
Just have to give this 5 stars and will add it to my 2022 favourites shelf.
Tommy has come back unexpectedly to the island in the Hebrides where tragedy struck his family some 20 years prior. The small community are a little uncomfortable with his return especially Malcolm, Tom’s uncle, who really has no choice but to put him up for a few nights. After all it was Malcolm and his wife Heather who took him in and tried to look after him as best they could when the tragedy struck all those years ago.
Everyone on the island has always thought that Tom’s father John was basically a good man who just ‘snapped’ one day but, as Tom angrily points out over dinner with a few of them, a good man does not kill nearly all of his family and then himself (no spoilers there by the way, we know right from the start of the book that the father has committed this unspeakable crime).
In the book we go back and forth primarily from Tom’s point of view to Malcolm’s plus we get insights into Malcolm and John’s upbringing and Tom's mother Katrina’s life prior to meeting John. One of the islanders Fiona has also kept secret all this time. Malcolm feels desperately sad that he did not see anything coming. Sure his brother John had a nasty streak in him just like their father but to do something that horrific! Malcolm also knows he and his wife Heather didn’t do a great job of looking after Tommy - they didn’t have children themselves and the poor kid was so shocked and full of anger they struggled along as best they could but Tom eventually left the island to live with Katrina’s sister Jill. Tom for his part is still dealing with the anger and survivor’s guilt - why did his father spare him when his older brother Nicky was his Dad’s favourite? Why has he come back to the island after such a long time? To deal with his demons? To make them all feel bad?
I thought this story was extremely well executed. It was close to perfect how we gradually came to understand what happened and got to know the main characters. The shifting between the present and when the tragedy took place was also spot on. The rugged coastline and geography of the island and the lifestyle of the small amount of residents was vividly portrayed and was like another character in the book. Nice way to start the year, only my third book and already I’ve read a stand out.
Tommy has come back unexpectedly to the island in the Hebrides where tragedy struck his family some 20 years prior. The small community are a little uncomfortable with his return especially Malcolm, Tom’s uncle, who really has no choice but to put him up for a few nights. After all it was Malcolm and his wife Heather who took him in and tried to look after him as best they could when the tragedy struck all those years ago.
Everyone on the island has always thought that Tom’s father John was basically a good man who just ‘snapped’ one day but, as Tom angrily points out over dinner with a few of them, a good man does not kill nearly all of his family and then himself (no spoilers there by the way, we know right from the start of the book that the father has committed this unspeakable crime).
In the book we go back and forth primarily from Tom’s point of view to Malcolm’s plus we get insights into Malcolm and John’s upbringing and Tom's mother Katrina’s life prior to meeting John. One of the islanders Fiona has also kept secret all this time. Malcolm feels desperately sad that he did not see anything coming. Sure his brother John had a nasty streak in him just like their father but to do something that horrific! Malcolm also knows he and his wife Heather didn’t do a great job of looking after Tommy - they didn’t have children themselves and the poor kid was so shocked and full of anger they struggled along as best they could but Tom eventually left the island to live with Katrina’s sister Jill. Tom for his part is still dealing with the anger and survivor’s guilt - why did his father spare him when his older brother Nicky was his Dad’s favourite? Why has he come back to the island after such a long time? To deal with his demons? To make them all feel bad?
I thought this story was extremely well executed. It was close to perfect how we gradually came to understand what happened and got to know the main characters. The shifting between the present and when the tragedy took place was also spot on. The rugged coastline and geography of the island and the lifestyle of the small amount of residents was vividly portrayed and was like another character in the book. Nice way to start the year, only my third book and already I’ve read a stand out.
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July 17, 2024прочитала за три дня, и это учитывая то, что вчера мне пришлось остановить себя, чтобы еще один день побыть в этой атмосфере.
обложкой напомнила бакмана, и сразу по нескольким первым главам — очень уж скандинавский (хотя дело происходит в шотландии), северный вайб. ледяной ветер, шторм, морось. наслаждение для меня в москве в тридцатиградусной жаре.
сама история, безусловно, цепляет. хоть и вся история трагедии раскрывается в конце первой главы, я расстроилась, что прочитала ее в отзыве на гудридс, который не был закрыт спойлером 👹 хотела бы узнать это сама.
неспешное повествование, атмосфера похожа на фильм «банши инишерина» (который мне не понравился), но разница в том, что здесь есть острота, которой в фильме нет. я думала, что будут раскрыты какие-то подробности и будет какой-то плоттвист ближе к концу, и, хотя его не было, в целом это меня не расстроило.
ощущения всех героев описаны реалистично, у всех есть мотивация, не поделить персонажей на «плохих» и «хороших». кроме одного козла (НЕ ХОЧУ СПОЙЛЕРИИИИТЬ)
больше всего понравился вайб, умело прописана изолированность общества на маленьком острове, на котором всегда холодно и сыро. старики, живущие бок о бок всю жизнь, знающие все друг о друге, и произошедший с ними ужас. отшлифованные ветром дома, оторванность от «большого мира».
думаю, может не понравиться отсутствие атмосферы триллера, тк заявочка в начале как будто подталкивает нас к тому, чтобы настроиться на нее. но если хочется чего-то медленного, темного и пронзительно-холодного, не разочарует.
обложкой напомнила бакмана, и сразу по нескольким первым главам — очень уж скандинавский (хотя дело происходит в шотландии), северный вайб. ледяной ветер, шторм, морось. наслаждение для меня в москве в тридцатиградусной жаре.
сама история, безусловно, цепляет. хоть и вся история трагедии раскрывается в конце первой главы, я расстроилась, что прочитала ее в отзыве на гудридс, который не был закрыт спойлером 👹 хотела бы узнать это сама.
неспешное повествование, атмосфера похожа на фильм «банши инишерина» (который мне не понравился), но разница в том, что здесь есть острота, которой в фильме нет. я думала, что будут раскрыты какие-то подробности и будет какой-то плоттвист ближе к концу, и, хотя его не было, в целом это меня не расстроило.
ощущения всех героев описаны реалистично, у всех есть мотивация, не поделить персонажей на «плохих» и «хороших». кроме одного козла (НЕ ХОЧУ СПОЙЛЕРИИИИТЬ)
больше всего понравился вайб, умело прописана изолированность общества на маленьком острове, на котором всегда холодно и сыро. старики, живущие бок о бок всю жизнь, знающие все друг о друге, и произошедший с ними ужас. отшлифованные ветром дома, оторванность от «большого мира».
думаю, может не понравиться отсутствие атмосферы триллера, тк заявочка в начале как будто подталкивает нас к тому, чтобы настроиться на нее. но если хочется чего-то медленного, темного и пронзительно-холодного, не разочарует.
March 9, 2020
I seem to be reading a lot of books about the violence of fathers right now. Jo Spain's Six Wicked Reasons, Maggie Gee's Blood and in terms of non-fiction, Joan Smith's Home Grown: How Domestic Violence Turns Men Into Terrorists.
Rebecca Wait's book is subtle. On a small remote Scottish island, a father murders his wife and two of his children. One boy survives; though it's not much of a survival. When the boy returns to the island as a young man, he, his only remaining relative and the other islanders have to confront the reality of the crime again.
Small remote communities can be strange places where emotional language is buttoned down. Your neighbours are people with whom you have no choice but to co-exist; so words are rationed and cautious. Wait uses that language to create a kind of pressure-cooker of unexpressed emotion. In using that setting, Wait seems to suggest a link between the inability of people to understand or discuss their feelings and the violence that is allowed to build behind the silence, unchecked. As a document of how that toxicity seeps into the lives of not just the immediate victim, but of everyone around, it's absolutely brilliant.
Rebecca Wait's book is subtle. On a small remote Scottish island, a father murders his wife and two of his children. One boy survives; though it's not much of a survival. When the boy returns to the island as a young man, he, his only remaining relative and the other islanders have to confront the reality of the crime again.
Small remote communities can be strange places where emotional language is buttoned down. Your neighbours are people with whom you have no choice but to co-exist; so words are rationed and cautious. Wait uses that language to create a kind of pressure-cooker of unexpressed emotion. In using that setting, Wait seems to suggest a link between the inability of people to understand or discuss their feelings and the violence that is allowed to build behind the silence, unchecked. As a document of how that toxicity seeps into the lives of not just the immediate victim, but of everyone around, it's absolutely brilliant.
December 19, 2019
It has taken 20 years for Tom to feel the need and to feel able to revisit the island he grew up on where all his family died at the hands of his father, leaving him the only survivor and witness at 10 years old. Twenty years in which he has moved around, hasn’t settled down. We follow his progress over a couple of weeks staying with his father’s only brother, now widowed and living a quiet life alone. Nothing much happens, though his visit is unsettling for many of the islanders. His reappearance reminds people of how they acted or failed to act at the time, bringing up memories they’d rather forget. Third person narration from different characters’ viewpoints highlights how this tragedy might have been averted - with hindsight, of course, it would have been - and how impenetrable other people’s family lives are.
This is an emotionally moving story, written in a straightforward, understated style that mirrors the character of the people most centrally involved, Malcolm and Tom. I liked its atmosphere and perception, and am grateful to Quercus via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
This is an emotionally moving story, written in a straightforward, understated style that mirrors the character of the people most centrally involved, Malcolm and Tom. I liked its atmosphere and perception, and am grateful to Quercus via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC.
October 29, 2022
Realistische Darstellung von toxischen Beziehungen, emotionalem Missbrauch, manipulativem Verhalten und den Folgen.
Es gibt keinen 'big reveal' wie in einem Thriller oder einem Film, sondern das Buch dröselt auf, wie es zu der Gewalttat kam und welche Auswirkungen diese auf das ganze Umfeld haben.
Ich habs sehr schnell und gern weggelesen. Ich mochte die Figuren, vor allem Malcolm. Die Atmosphäre war sehr dicht und fühlbar.
Es gibt keinen 'big reveal' wie in einem Thriller oder einem Film, sondern das Buch dröselt auf, wie es zu der Gewalttat kam und welche Auswirkungen diese auf das ganze Umfeld haben.
Ich habs sehr schnell und gern weggelesen. Ich mochte die Figuren, vor allem Malcolm. Die Atmosphäre war sehr dicht und fühlbar.
December 15, 2020
"The wind is up again"
"Aye, yes you're right"
"I forgot how cold it can get"
"Hmm"
"Omlette for dinner okay with you?"
For 200 pages.
"Aye, yes you're right"
"I forgot how cold it can get"
"Hmm"
"Omlette for dinner okay with you?"
For 200 pages.
June 5, 2022
The past was a story we told ourselves.
November 26, 2019
by Rebecca Wait
One day when Tommy was eight years old his Father shot his brother Nicky, his baby sister Beth and his Mother. Then his Father turned the gun on himself leaving Tommy as the soul survivor, hiding in a cupboard. Unsurprisingly Tommy has had a difficult time living with this this. Now in his 30’s Tom has returned to the remote island of his childhood, Litta. Will this help him lay the demons to rest or will it stir up people’s memories?
This is a gentle book – surprising considering the dreadful murders. Tom has been running all his life but has now returned to face his past. However, this isn’t a swift acting, seeking out of the truth. This is more about him coping with being the survivor. He isn’t poking and prodding everyone seeking out reasons but rather walking the desolate island and sitting in the silent company of his Uncle, Malcolm, who has his own regrets from the past.
I loved this book. It is hard to explain what kept me reading – it certainly wasn’t the action as this story moved slowly much like the island it is set upon. The characters, however, are quite wonderful. Who can’t but feel for this man who has lived with his Father’s actions for most of his life? The taciturn Malcolm who is a man of few words but who feels that he failed the young Tommy. Then there are the neighbours – should they have noticed clues? Should they have intervened within the family? Those dilemmas at the time which still haunt them.
This is a very moving story. Everyone is a sum of their past and of people’s actions & inactions. So noticeable in this case but so true of us all. The depth of feeling and beautiful description combined to make this a wonderful book which I am glad that I read.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.
One day when Tommy was eight years old his Father shot his brother Nicky, his baby sister Beth and his Mother. Then his Father turned the gun on himself leaving Tommy as the soul survivor, hiding in a cupboard. Unsurprisingly Tommy has had a difficult time living with this this. Now in his 30’s Tom has returned to the remote island of his childhood, Litta. Will this help him lay the demons to rest or will it stir up people’s memories?
This is a gentle book – surprising considering the dreadful murders. Tom has been running all his life but has now returned to face his past. However, this isn’t a swift acting, seeking out of the truth. This is more about him coping with being the survivor. He isn’t poking and prodding everyone seeking out reasons but rather walking the desolate island and sitting in the silent company of his Uncle, Malcolm, who has his own regrets from the past.
I loved this book. It is hard to explain what kept me reading – it certainly wasn’t the action as this story moved slowly much like the island it is set upon. The characters, however, are quite wonderful. Who can’t but feel for this man who has lived with his Father’s actions for most of his life? The taciturn Malcolm who is a man of few words but who feels that he failed the young Tommy. Then there are the neighbours – should they have noticed clues? Should they have intervened within the family? Those dilemmas at the time which still haunt them.
This is a very moving story. Everyone is a sum of their past and of people’s actions & inactions. So noticeable in this case but so true of us all. The depth of feeling and beautiful description combined to make this a wonderful book which I am glad that I read.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.
April 21, 2020
This was a quiet gem, which had come to my attention through the glowing reviews on goodreads. The raves were warranted - it is truly superb! Key to the unique plot is a sense of place, as the novel unfolds on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. The quality of the writing, both with respect to plot and credibility of the characters yields something rare and wonderful! Here is a quote from the opening page, wherein the reader knows immediately that this is a keeper!
‘On this particular Tuesday in March, the sea had been rough all day, hurling itself against the rocks in an explosion of foam, then sliding back to gather force before it surged forward again. The wind was up already, laying the grasses flat across the machair and buffeting the sheep on the cliffs. It would grow in strength as the afternoon wore on, but on the island their houses had to be coming down around their ears before they were willing to call it a storm’.
The plot revolves around Tommy, whose family had all perished as a result of a murder suicide by his father years ago. He returns to the island as a young man. Slowly the layers and origins of people’s unique histories are revealed, and as the pieces emerge, the reader gains insight as to how the horrific incident came to happen. The characters are so very real, shaped as they are by the surroundings as well as by their shared history. Burrowing into the reader’s soul are the undercurrents, the anxieties, the angst, and above all, the regrets, yet the author makes it clear that such emotional undertow is often part of the baggage of being human.
‘On this particular Tuesday in March, the sea had been rough all day, hurling itself against the rocks in an explosion of foam, then sliding back to gather force before it surged forward again. The wind was up already, laying the grasses flat across the machair and buffeting the sheep on the cliffs. It would grow in strength as the afternoon wore on, but on the island their houses had to be coming down around their ears before they were willing to call it a storm’.
The plot revolves around Tommy, whose family had all perished as a result of a murder suicide by his father years ago. He returns to the island as a young man. Slowly the layers and origins of people’s unique histories are revealed, and as the pieces emerge, the reader gains insight as to how the horrific incident came to happen. The characters are so very real, shaped as they are by the surroundings as well as by their shared history. Burrowing into the reader’s soul are the undercurrents, the anxieties, the angst, and above all, the regrets, yet the author makes it clear that such emotional undertow is often part of the baggage of being human.
March 6, 2020
As a middle-aged adult Tommy returns to the Scottish island where he lived as a boy, until a murder-suicide left him the sole survivor in his family.
There’s little or no mystery element to this novel, rather it’s a study of grief and guilt that would work much better if it was half as long, but Wait protracts each scene to such an extent that it spoils the continuity. She writes about men’s mental health well however; the two male protagonists both have suffered loss of loved ones, but find it very difficult to talk about.
There’s little or no mystery element to this novel, rather it’s a study of grief and guilt that would work much better if it was half as long, but Wait protracts each scene to such an extent that it spoils the continuity. She writes about men’s mental health well however; the two male protagonists both have suffered loss of loved ones, but find it very difficult to talk about.
April 19, 2024
I got through this book so fast. It is so well written and so so sad. Would recommend this book to everyone
November 1, 2020
This was a quiet gem, which had come to my attention through the glowing reviews on goodreads. The raves were warranted - it is truly superb! Key to the unique plot is a sense of place, as the novel unfolds on a remote island off the coast of Scotland. The quality of the writing, both with respect to plot and credibility of the characters yields something rare and wonderful!
Here is a quote from the opening page, wherein the reader knows immediately that this is a keeper!
‘On this particular Tuesday in March, the sea had been rough all day, hurling itself against the rocks in an explosion of foam, then sliding back to gather force before it surged forward again. The wind was up already, laying the grasses flat across the machair and buffeting the sheep on the cliffs. It would grow in strength as the afternoon wore on, but on the island their houses had to be coming down around their ears before they were willing to call it a storm’.
The plot revolves around Tommy, whose family had all perished as a result of a murder suicide by his father years ago. He returns to the island as a young man. Slowly the layers and origins of people’s unique histories are revealed, and as the pieces emerge, the reader gains insight as to how the horrific incident came to happen. The characters are so very real, shaped as they are by the surroundings as well as by their shared history. Burrowing into the reader’s soul are the undercurrents, the anxieties, the angst, and above all, the regrets, yet the author makes it clear that such emotional undertow is often part of the baggage of being human.
Here is a quote from the opening page, wherein the reader knows immediately that this is a keeper!
‘On this particular Tuesday in March, the sea had been rough all day, hurling itself against the rocks in an explosion of foam, then sliding back to gather force before it surged forward again. The wind was up already, laying the grasses flat across the machair and buffeting the sheep on the cliffs. It would grow in strength as the afternoon wore on, but on the island their houses had to be coming down around their ears before they were willing to call it a storm’.
The plot revolves around Tommy, whose family had all perished as a result of a murder suicide by his father years ago. He returns to the island as a young man. Slowly the layers and origins of people’s unique histories are revealed, and as the pieces emerge, the reader gains insight as to how the horrific incident came to happen. The characters are so very real, shaped as they are by the surroundings as well as by their shared history. Burrowing into the reader’s soul are the undercurrents, the anxieties, the angst, and above all, the regrets, yet the author makes it clear that such emotional undertow is often part of the baggage of being human.
August 23, 2022
This is a very ambitious novel dealing with a very dramatic and emotive subject - a man murdering his own family. John Baird shoots his wife and two of his children and then himself at the start of the novel. It then moves forward twenty years to the return of Tommy, the surviving son, to the small Hebridean island where the murders took place.
Most of the rest of the novel deals with Tommy’s attempts to reconcile himself with what happened and re-establish a relationship with his uncle Malcom who brought him up after the murders. On such a small island, the whole community remembers what happened and several of them feel guilt at not having seen it coming and having been able to stop it.
As well as Tommy struggling to come to terms with his feelings of survivor’s guilt, the novel has a strong mystery element to it as it builds towards an explanation of how and why seemingly mild-mannered John Baird came to murder his wife and children.
Most of the rest of the novel deals with Tommy’s attempts to reconcile himself with what happened and re-establish a relationship with his uncle Malcom who brought him up after the murders. On such a small island, the whole community remembers what happened and several of them feel guilt at not having seen it coming and having been able to stop it.
As well as Tommy struggling to come to terms with his feelings of survivor’s guilt, the novel has a strong mystery element to it as it builds towards an explanation of how and why seemingly mild-mannered John Baird came to murder his wife and children.
June 10, 2021
A book that completely pulled me in and made me reflect on the story as it unfolded.
For a setting you can't do much better than a small island in the Outer Hebrides; Litta was home to Katerina and her children Nicky, Tommy and little Beth and of course the man that dominates, her husband John.
Twenty years later at a crossroads in his life Tommy, who survived the absolute catastrophe that was caused by his father's actions, returns to visit his Uncle Malcolm, John's brother. These two taciturn men's difficult communication will bring tears to your eyes.
What I loved most was by casting the men as the main characters the reader has more time to watch and absorb against the beautiful backdrop of an isolated island. This makes for a beautiful, if heart-rending read that will haunt you.
For a setting you can't do much better than a small island in the Outer Hebrides; Litta was home to Katerina and her children Nicky, Tommy and little Beth and of course the man that dominates, her husband John.
Twenty years later at a crossroads in his life Tommy, who survived the absolute catastrophe that was caused by his father's actions, returns to visit his Uncle Malcolm, John's brother. These two taciturn men's difficult communication will bring tears to your eyes.
What I loved most was by casting the men as the main characters the reader has more time to watch and absorb against the beautiful backdrop of an isolated island. This makes for a beautiful, if heart-rending read that will haunt you.
January 28, 2022
Beautiful writing with some sentences you stop to read again and again. An incredible insight into male relationships and communication. A stunning book.
February 28, 2025
Забагато абʼюзерів на кількість населення. Хоча зрозуміло що авторка хотіла донести.
September 26, 2022
An atmospheric read. I found it haunting and quite moving at times . Whilst it was good, it didn’t blow me away like I thought it would. Therefore 3.5 ⭐️
March 4, 2020
#OurFathers - Rebecca Wait
#Riverrun
#Pasellabook
Before reading this book I was unaware of the existence of the Scottish Hebrides and had to Google to find out that it is an archipelago comprising hundreds of islands off the Northwest coast of Scotland. The setting is quite relevant to the overall tone and subject of the novel since the background explains much of the events portrayed.
The specific setting is Litta, a tiny island (8 miles by 3 miles across). It is only accessible by a 2.5 hour journey on a ferry from the mainland. Very few people live there, mostly farmers, and there is a tiny shop and a school with 4 pupils. Everyone knows everyone - or so they thought.
One evening John Baird, working as an accountant on the mainland, but living on Litta (where he grew up) took a shotgun (that nobody knew he had) and killed his wife, Katrina, his baby daughter, Beth, his 9 year old son, Nicky, and then himself. 8 year old Tommy survived.
Around 30 year later Tommy (now Tom) returns to Litta. He wants answers: why was he spared ? How could such a small community not have seen the tragedy coming ? How could John’s brother, Malcolm, not have known what was coming ?
Tom’s quest for answers opens up old wounds. The novel explores the memories and reactions of all the islanders: their collective and individual guilt especially.
It is a slow moving novel with much attention to detail, but that adds to the quality of the prose. The characters’ development is described in beautiful language, such as: ‘Most people got to spend their lives never knowing whether they were good or bad. What beautiful safety there must be in that. Tom always knew what kind of person he was.’
Also: ‘He knew as well as anyone what a strange darkness the past was, how we plucked pieces from it and refitted them to our own purposes. The past was a story we told ourselves.’
Another one: ‘Later - much later - it would occur to her that she’d fallen in love simply because she wanted to be in love. It could have been anyone. That was the pity of it.’
The novel is hauntingly beautiful, melancholic and tragic; not easily forgotten, and well deserving of 5 stars.
#Uitdieperdsebek
#Riverrun
#Pasellabook
Before reading this book I was unaware of the existence of the Scottish Hebrides and had to Google to find out that it is an archipelago comprising hundreds of islands off the Northwest coast of Scotland. The setting is quite relevant to the overall tone and subject of the novel since the background explains much of the events portrayed.
The specific setting is Litta, a tiny island (8 miles by 3 miles across). It is only accessible by a 2.5 hour journey on a ferry from the mainland. Very few people live there, mostly farmers, and there is a tiny shop and a school with 4 pupils. Everyone knows everyone - or so they thought.
One evening John Baird, working as an accountant on the mainland, but living on Litta (where he grew up) took a shotgun (that nobody knew he had) and killed his wife, Katrina, his baby daughter, Beth, his 9 year old son, Nicky, and then himself. 8 year old Tommy survived.
Around 30 year later Tommy (now Tom) returns to Litta. He wants answers: why was he spared ? How could such a small community not have seen the tragedy coming ? How could John’s brother, Malcolm, not have known what was coming ?
Tom’s quest for answers opens up old wounds. The novel explores the memories and reactions of all the islanders: their collective and individual guilt especially.
It is a slow moving novel with much attention to detail, but that adds to the quality of the prose. The characters’ development is described in beautiful language, such as: ‘Most people got to spend their lives never knowing whether they were good or bad. What beautiful safety there must be in that. Tom always knew what kind of person he was.’
Also: ‘He knew as well as anyone what a strange darkness the past was, how we plucked pieces from it and refitted them to our own purposes. The past was a story we told ourselves.’
Another one: ‘Later - much later - it would occur to her that she’d fallen in love simply because she wanted to be in love. It could have been anyone. That was the pity of it.’
The novel is hauntingly beautiful, melancholic and tragic; not easily forgotten, and well deserving of 5 stars.
#Uitdieperdsebek
June 20, 2020
'Life was a hard struggle, a long dark night, and we had best be thankful for those left to us to love.'
~
I loved this book. It felt like a mixture of genres; somewhere between thriller and literary fiction, telling the story of a man who murders his family. But more than that it is a story about family itself, the threads that bind us, the things we inherit, and the memories/past we try to escape.
~
I felt that Wait's depiction of all the characters and their lives, including the portrayal of their parents, was very well executed.
The impact parents can have on their children, particularly problematic parents, cannot be understated. She depicts this in a way that is both factual but also gentle and tender. After all we are all products of our upbringing, and this is something we largely cannot control.
~
'Katrina was aware that she had reached adulthood with no clear sense of her own personality, no real idea of her likes and dislikes, or even where her own edges were.'
~
The initial story feels like it's centred primarily on the men in the story, with Tommy as the surviving son, and his gentle uncle Malcolm, but I really liked the insight into Katrina's life too.
Given her mother's influence on her in her formative years, it isn't too surprising that she chose the husband she did, even with the personality and characteristics he had. Some of us, it seems, are doomed to repeat cycles and patterns of inherited behaviour.
~
I loved the ending, and how hopeful it was. I think the emotional aspects of this story, including the acknowledgement of what happened and the 'healing' the characters go through is very true to life. Not everyone is doomed to repeat the same mistakes and behaviours, despite their upbringing. Some of us are able to break free from it.
~
'the truth was what we felt, not what we knew.'
~
I would definitely recommend this book. A very enjoyable read that had me hooked very quickly. I'd also definitely read more of Rebecca Wait's work.
~
I loved this book. It felt like a mixture of genres; somewhere between thriller and literary fiction, telling the story of a man who murders his family. But more than that it is a story about family itself, the threads that bind us, the things we inherit, and the memories/past we try to escape.
~
I felt that Wait's depiction of all the characters and their lives, including the portrayal of their parents, was very well executed.
The impact parents can have on their children, particularly problematic parents, cannot be understated. She depicts this in a way that is both factual but also gentle and tender. After all we are all products of our upbringing, and this is something we largely cannot control.
~
'Katrina was aware that she had reached adulthood with no clear sense of her own personality, no real idea of her likes and dislikes, or even where her own edges were.'
~
The initial story feels like it's centred primarily on the men in the story, with Tommy as the surviving son, and his gentle uncle Malcolm, but I really liked the insight into Katrina's life too.
Given her mother's influence on her in her formative years, it isn't too surprising that she chose the husband she did, even with the personality and characteristics he had. Some of us, it seems, are doomed to repeat cycles and patterns of inherited behaviour.
~
I loved the ending, and how hopeful it was. I think the emotional aspects of this story, including the acknowledgement of what happened and the 'healing' the characters go through is very true to life. Not everyone is doomed to repeat the same mistakes and behaviours, despite their upbringing. Some of us are able to break free from it.
~
'the truth was what we felt, not what we knew.'
~
I would definitely recommend this book. A very enjoyable read that had me hooked very quickly. I'd also definitely read more of Rebecca Wait's work.
January 1, 2021
In early December I did a post on Six 2020 Underrated Gems, and a lot of other readers on Instagram shared their own favorite underrated gems. Our Fathers came to me from Cherise Wolas, author of The Family Tabor, I book I loved (my review). This is a dark story of a man returning to the small Scottish island where he grew up, the island where his father shot himself after killing his mother and two siblings. Only Tommy, hiding in a closet, escaped. Tommy goes to his uncle, Malcolm, for what he’s not sure, but his life has been haunted by the questions of why his father did it and why he was spared. This book was a slow, steady exploration of these dark questions and how life can go on after something like that. The writing was simply gorgeous, and I enjoyed the book quite a lot, though it was not easy to read and I don’t think it will be for everyone.
https://novelvisits.com/december-2020...
https://novelvisits.com/december-2020...
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