Unbeknownst to them an older woman sits on a bench, watching them. They never saw her or even looked in her direction.
From there the chapters alternate between a mother who's life seems perfect until her husband and two children disappear. The reader doesn't know why she is hesitant to report their disappearance. These chapters are simply called 'The Wife' and the alternate chapters are narrated by a writer who is obsessed with true crime. Her chapters are called 'A Writers Thoughts'.
The two narrators are broken and complex and maybe not the most likeable characters you will read. It's difficult at first to see the connection between these two vastly different women, but slowly it is revealed how they are connected and from there the story really gets cooking!
The inspiration for the story was the true crime that deeply affected the authors life. Royce's mother's best friend was brutally murdered in her Pittsburgh home in 1948 when the girls were twelve years old.
Even though her mother wasn't directly affected by the unsolved mystery, the tragedy lead to generational trauma and broken parents raise broken children.
It also gets meta with the popular crime fiction genre and I loved that this fiction incorporated real life people and events, such as Dominick Dunne and Michelle McNamara as well as the Dirty Wars in Argentina and the disappeared children.
The Covid shutdown setting adds an eerie, isolating feeling that is critical to the plot. The pressures and unique challenges of living through the pandemic lockdown and it's mounting frustrations are addressed beautifully. The writing is superb and there are red herrings and plenty of twists to keep the reader questioning their own conclusions.
If you love this genre and are tired of the sameness it can generate, you will love this extremely unique tale and I will say the blending of fiction and true crime is one of my favorite mashups in literature.
If you're looking for a gorgeous book jacket to add to your library, Reef Road's cover art is my favorite this year.
Deborah Goodrich Royce was an actress on 'All My Children' and does restoration work including the Ocean House Hotel and Savoy bookshop in Rhode Island to name but a few interesting projects. She will also be at Fabled on January 17th to promote the paperback release of the novel, please join us for that fabulous discussion.
Until the next episode of Likely Stories, I wish you a pile of good books and a cozy reading spot.