Dreaming of Water
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A woman’s investigation into her past reveals family secrets and lies in this novel of discovery, redemption, and the mutability of memory by the bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and In Another Light.
Astrid Johansen swore she would never return to Heron Bay, Washington. In that idyllic coastal town, her little sister, Nina, drowned in a reflecting pool under Astrid’s watch seventeen years ago. Though guilt has kept her away, Astrid can’t ignore her aunt Maude’s urgent plea to come back. Maude claims to have found a letter that will change everything about the past.
When Astrid arrives in Heron Bay, she finds Maude unconscious, perhaps the victim of an attack. As Maude lingers in a coma, Astrid uncovers alarming evidence that Nina’s drowning that tragic night was no accident. But in a town rife with secrets, and in a family still fractured by grief, who knows the truth?
Astrid’s investigation leads her down a trail of dark memories, lies, and betrayals that will shatter her perception of everyone she thought she knew—even herself.
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Fast, Twisty Read With Plenty O' Drama. Once again Banner delivers on managing to pack quite a tale into a relatively short (260 ish page) package. Here, her personal passion for old typewriters (shared by Tom Hanks, fwiw) shines through, and she manages to essentially wrap an entire story around this anachronistic device that yes, was still being used by some as recently as 2004, when the "before" period of this book was set. Was it the dominant form of communication then? No. But remember: the smart phone was still 2-3 years away, as dated by Apple's introduction of the iPhone in 2007. So it wasn't as though communication had been completely revolutionized yet at that point either. The twists here come at a rather frenetic pace once they start, and the tension is particularly well paced, starting out rather slow as we first enter the world, before ramping up slowly and consistently before getting to a few peaks and troughs leading into the climax. Overall yet another excellent work by Banner, and I for one truly hope she continues to keep writing, as her particular style not being around anymore would be quite a loss for the literary world. Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.