Vanessa Carvin is escaping her past and hiding out in an isolated island community. She's so desperate to get away from her past that she's changed her name to Willow Hale. With her new identity, she is no longer the woman associated with a media scandal. She is free from her husband and everything that was raked up in the papers. She is free to reflect on recent events and discover who she wants to be. It is the story of a woman facing her guilt and trying to find herself again. All set on a remote community with neighbours who aren't all pleased with her arrival. How will they feel if they ever find out what happened before she arrived?

The story here is very emotional and a bit of a slow burner. I won't pretend that it's hard to figure out the mystery but that's not really the point. This is a book about one woman's efforts to rebuild her life. She has been a wife and a mother since she was a young woman. Now that she is on her own, Vanessa isn't sure how to keep going. It's an interesting portrait of that generation of women who are raised to stay in the home and what happens when that home is destroyed. About how much they see or turn a blind eye to in order to keep things ticking over. Vanessa was constantly torn between keeping her husband or daughters happy. What does she do when she realises she may have given her loyalty to the wrong person?

Water plays an interesting part in this book. It can destroy and hurt but it is also cleansing. Willow Hale is the product of a rebirth and we see her drawn to the sea as part of her renewal. She is washing away her sins and regrets. However, she also has another emotional connection with the water. It reminds her of her biggest mistake and she visits it to reflect on her past. Water has shaped her life and pushed her down certain paths. It has been her undoing and has caused so much hurt to her family. She has put the sea between her old life and her new one. Can it also help heal her and help her move on with her life?

The writing in this book is so beautiful and I absolutely love how John Boyne told this story. There was such nuance and realism on show. The characters felt real and Vanessa had depth. I always love it when a book can pack such an emotional punch in such a short space. This book is less than 200 pages but goes through many themes and gives the characters room to develop. I loved it so much that I instantly started listening to the next book in the quartet. I just had to get more.