Sunday, September 15, 2024

9.15.2024 - The Night We Lost Him

The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave 

Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster/Simon Element/Marysue Rucci Books for gifting me both a physical and audio ARC of the new book by a favorite, Laura Dave.  All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

Liam Noone was a complicated man, especially when it came to relationships.  He had 3 ex-wives and 3 children.  While he did his best to be there for his kids, he kept his various families separate, so that Nora really didn't know her younger twin brothers who worked with their dad as a hotel magnate.  His life ended with a fall to his death from his beloved cliffside cottage.  It is ruled accidental, but Nora and her brother, Sam, think otherwise.  They begin to investigate.

Don't go into this thinking it's a thriller like Dave's last book, The Last Thing He Told Me, made into a gripping TV series.  This one is a strong character-driven family novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Told in alternating timelines between present and Liam's past, it's suspenseful but mostly a family and personal drama.  You could feel the longing for relationships that weren't fulfilled, the grief that runs through the whole book, and the fear of giving ourselves completely to another.  This book reminded me of her previous book, Eight Hundred Grapes, in all the best ways - an exploration of family and relationships.  

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