The Weight of Blood
Ratings9
Average rating3.2
For fans of Gillian Flynn, Scott Smith, and Daniel Woodrell comes a gripping, suspenseful novel about two mysterious disappearances a generation apart.
The town of Henbane sits deep in the Ozark Mountains. Folks there still whisper about Lucy Dane’s mother, a bewitching stranger who appeared long enough to marry Carl Dane and then vanished when Lucy was just a child. Now on the brink of adulthood, Lucy experiences another loss when her friend Cheri disappears and is then found murdered, her body placed on display for all to see. Lucy’s family has deep roots in the Ozarks, part of a community that is fiercely protective of its own. Yet despite her close ties to the land, and despite her family’s influence, Lucy—darkly beautiful as her mother was—is always thought of by those around her as her mother’s daughter. When Cheri disappears, Lucy is haunted by the two lost girls—the mother she never knew and the friend she couldn’t save—and sets out with the help of a local boy, Daniel, to uncover the mystery behind Cheri’s death.
What Lucy discovers is a secret that pervades the secluded Missouri hills, and beyond that horrific revelation is a more personal one concerning what happened to her mother more than a decade earlier.
The Weight of Blood is an urgent look at the dark side of a bucolic landscape beyond the arm of the law, where a person can easily disappear without a trace. Laura McHugh proves herself a masterly storyteller who has created a harsh and tangled terrain as alive and unforgettable as the characters who inhabit it. Her mesmerizing debut is a compelling exploration of the meaning of family: the sacrifices we make, the secrets we keep, and the lengths to which we will go to protect the ones we love.
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The Ozarks hills are the perfect backdrop to excellent characterization. Ms. McHugh weaves a story of intrigue, betrayal, and redefines the meaning of family as opposed to blood kin.
My only tiny wince is that the ending seemed a bit hurried.
More to come when I get a chance.
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Weight of Blood is the story of Lucy, a girl from Henbane, Missouri (sounds like the most creepy town ever.. right?). Lucy is feels guilty for not trying harder to figure out what happened to her friend Cheri whose remains were found a year after she went missing. She starts working for her uncle and stumbles upon some evidence of Cheri's disappearance. Thus, ensues a search for the truth that Lucy discovers is connected to her own mother's disappearance and also very strongly incriminates her uncle.
I requested this book from NetGalley because the description sounded really thrilling and the setting of Henbane seemed like it would lead to a great edge-of-your-seat scare-the-crap-out-of-you read. Sadly, I was able to guess the ending in detail from the third chapter, and I only kept reading to see if I was right. And there was not really any suspense or thrill – this was not for lack of trying, but the author was just unable to create the mood she was going for. Super let down.
There were a few things I didn't like that I think really led to the lack of development:
1.The chapters switched between two main characters, Lucy and her mother (Lila), and they were both written in first person with the same voice. Therefore, difficult to distinguish and make into their own character. Also, because you are hearing the story from Lila's point of view the entire time, there's no suspense created besides the ultimate question of why she disappeared.
2.The love interest between Lucy and the guy who is helping her investigate is extremely young-adultish and detracts from the rest of the story.
3.The dialogue goes tries to sound hick... but it ends up being annoying. Mostly because of the phrase “fixing to”. No one says “cheer up darlin' ” and ”fixing to”. It's “fixin' to”. And it was all over the place.
4.There was no resolution of what really happened to Lila's mother. Just a vague answer to knowing whether she ran away or not. Extremely annoying!
Bottom line: This story looked intriguing and the idea behind it I still think could have been great. However, it just didn't work. There isn't much depth to the characters or plot. I honestly would not recommend this book.
The Weight of Blood will be released on March 11th, for anyone who dares to try it.
