Kala
Ratings11
Average rating4.2
A gripping literary page-turner from a rising Irish talent in which former friends, estranged for twenty years, reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives. In the seaside village of Kinlough, on Ireland's west coast, three old friends meet for the first time in years. They--Helen, Joe and Mush--were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann at its white-hot center. But later that year, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now remains have been discovered in the woods--including a skull with a Polaroid photo tucked inside--and the town is both aghast and titillated at reopening this old wound. On the eve of this gruesome discovery, Helen had reluctantly returned for her father's wedding, the world-famous musician Joe had come home to dry out and reconnect with something authentic, and Mush had never left, too shattered by the events of that summer to venture beyond the counter of his mother's café. But when two more girls go missing, they are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala's disappearance. Ultimately, they must do what others should have done before to stop the violent patterns of their town's past repeating themselves once again. In cracklingly vivid prose, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.
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Love the subtle sci fi elements woven into this book. I never read whodunnits but this one really kept itself hearty, considered and grounded throughout. Found it to be a quick engaging read.
Very impressive. The characters are all flawed, believable, complex. The story is tragic and compelling. I found it hard to get into it for quite a while. I suppose I've read too many missing woman/girl stories, I wish they'd change the record. But this was recommended and I'm glad I read it. It was very well written.
Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Books for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Kala Lannan is the kind of person who draws everyone around her. Girls want to be like her, boys want to be with her, and everyone feels a bit special to be close to her. In 2003 she disappeared without a trace and has never been found.
Fifteen years later, part of the group is back in town and Kala's body is discovered, reopening old wounds that never truly healed.
“Life is like this: immense when you are inside it, but manageable from the outside, touched from a distance.”
I don't usually read thrillers but once in a while I like to pick one and see what I am missing. I couldn't be more happy that Kala was the one I chose.
This book is much more than discovering what happened with Kala. It's also a coming of age story to remind us about the summers of our lives, about the friendships that mean the whole world, the beauty of first love and the raw intensity of teenagers emotions. It is also a story about how the past affects us and life turns out to be different than we dreamed.
The story is told through Helen, Joe and Mush POV, which encompasses both present and past timelines as they remember the events before Kala's disappearance. This strategy gives a special rhythm to the story, and it is one of the things that make this book such a page turner.
I liked the story and I was invested in the case but my favorite part of the book were the characters. Colin wrote brilliant characters and I believe some of them will stay with me for a long time.
Kala was Colin Walsh debut and I can't wait to see what he will bring us next.
