Stephanie Jane recenzis In The Blood de Ellen Kanner
A compelling tale
4 steloj
I discovered Florida-based author Ellen Kanner on Twitter (@soulfulvegan). She has written a couple of vegan cookery books that I'm looking forward to reading in due course, but it was her novel about a dysfunctional Florida Keys family, In The Blood, that first caught my eye. I loved how Kanner captures the stifling atmosphere of Haycock Key, linking the natural climate of this tiny island to Car Haycock's family history so the two elements appeared to feed off each other. Haycock Key would not have become the same place without the efforts of the family and ,had this family rooted themselves in another location, they may well have turned out very differently.
The relationship between siblings Car and Drew, while no longer healthy for either of them, makes for fascinating reading as each one subconsciously re-enacts past behaviour patterns. Their childhood traumas drive their adult actions locking each one into …
I discovered Florida-based author Ellen Kanner on Twitter (@soulfulvegan). She has written a couple of vegan cookery books that I'm looking forward to reading in due course, but it was her novel about a dysfunctional Florida Keys family, In The Blood, that first caught my eye. I loved how Kanner captures the stifling atmosphere of Haycock Key, linking the natural climate of this tiny island to Car Haycock's family history so the two elements appeared to feed off each other. Haycock Key would not have become the same place without the efforts of the family and ,had this family rooted themselves in another location, they may well have turned out very differently.
The relationship between siblings Car and Drew, while no longer healthy for either of them, makes for fascinating reading as each one subconsciously re-enacts past behaviour patterns. Their childhood traumas drive their adult actions locking each one into a destructive circle, even as they strive to escape their joint past. Kanner surrounds the pair with a strong, diverse cast of supporting characters, all of whom are also somewhat broken in their own ways. I became fondest of nonagenarian Gertie, frustrated by her failing body and mind, and Connie whose relentless positivity did irritate Car, but I found it endearing.
In The Blood does suffer from a lot of distracting typos and occasional missing words, most of which I could overlook, but I was frustrated when odd sentences suddenly pulled me out of particularly emotional scenes. Overall though I very much enjoyed reading In The Blood - if 'enjoyed' is the right word considering some of the subject matter. Kanner's multilayered novel gave me a lot to think about and consider within a compelling tale.