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A review by bookdragon217
Long Bright River by Liz Moore
5.0
"This was the secret I learned that day: none of them want to be saved. They all want to sink backward toward the earth again, to be swallowed by the ground, to keep sleeping. There is hatred on their faces when they are roused from the dead".
Mickey and Kacey are two sisters who grew up in poverty and endured a rough upbringing in Philadelphia. Losing their mother at an early age to an overdose, having an absent father and growing up in a loveless home with their grandmother made them in inseparable but set the course of their lies on two very different paths. Mickey grows up to be a police officer and Kacey gets hooked on drugs and works the streets. Kacey disappears during the height of the opioid crisis in Kensington when there is a serial killer on the loose. Mickey is desperate to find her sister and stops at nothing, even breaking department rules to locate Kacey.
I absolutely loved how the author managed to tell a beautiful story about the bond between sisters set in the backdrop of the opioid crisis. She brought insight into the topic of addiction and gives it context, sheds light to stigma and reminds the readers that this is happening in our own backyards every day. The author wrote characters that had depth, complex backgrounds and unique voices which helped to spotlight that addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of circumstances. The characters were so well developed that I couldn't help but become entrenched in the story and become emotional and invested in them.
The author tackled some deep themes in a beautiful way. She highlights income and class disparity, toxic masculinity, status of women, motherhood, addiction, family dysfunction and stigma. She parks these topics right in the middle of every day life and reminds the reader that life isn't always pretty and perfect.
What I appreciated the most was how Moore portrayed the female characters. They were strong, raw, honest, resilient, loyal, survivors, resourceful despite being devalued in society. This was a story about the bonds that hold not only sisters together, but ordinary women. It also brought humanity to the problem of addiction. Moore spotlights the challenges of recovery and the importance of having a strong support system in place.
Overall, I thought this book was a gem that will be close to my heart for a long time. It was compassionate, suspenseful, and gripping. Thanks to Riverhead Books for the ARC and chance to provide an honest review.
Mickey and Kacey are two sisters who grew up in poverty and endured a rough upbringing in Philadelphia. Losing their mother at an early age to an overdose, having an absent father and growing up in a loveless home with their grandmother made them in inseparable but set the course of their lies on two very different paths. Mickey grows up to be a police officer and Kacey gets hooked on drugs and works the streets. Kacey disappears during the height of the opioid crisis in Kensington when there is a serial killer on the loose. Mickey is desperate to find her sister and stops at nothing, even breaking department rules to locate Kacey.
I absolutely loved how the author managed to tell a beautiful story about the bond between sisters set in the backdrop of the opioid crisis. She brought insight into the topic of addiction and gives it context, sheds light to stigma and reminds the readers that this is happening in our own backyards every day. The author wrote characters that had depth, complex backgrounds and unique voices which helped to spotlight that addiction can happen to anyone, regardless of circumstances. The characters were so well developed that I couldn't help but become entrenched in the story and become emotional and invested in them.
The author tackled some deep themes in a beautiful way. She highlights income and class disparity, toxic masculinity, status of women, motherhood, addiction, family dysfunction and stigma. She parks these topics right in the middle of every day life and reminds the reader that life isn't always pretty and perfect.
What I appreciated the most was how Moore portrayed the female characters. They were strong, raw, honest, resilient, loyal, survivors, resourceful despite being devalued in society. This was a story about the bonds that hold not only sisters together, but ordinary women. It also brought humanity to the problem of addiction. Moore spotlights the challenges of recovery and the importance of having a strong support system in place.
Overall, I thought this book was a gem that will be close to my heart for a long time. It was compassionate, suspenseful, and gripping. Thanks to Riverhead Books for the ARC and chance to provide an honest review.