★★★★✩
Synopsis:
Augusta Hope twin number two born on the day after her twin sister Julia. Both girls completely opposite: one fair haired, quiet and happy the other dark, outspoken and restless.
Parfait born in Burundi, Africa - one of the world's poorest nations. Born into a large family. Parfait has a hard life and faces much suffering due to the political divide and war by the Tutsi and Hutu communities.
Destined to meet the two are brought together through fate, heartache and a longing of finding their place in the world.
This book was an unexpected delight. I have to say I struggled a bit at the beginning as I found the way it was written, through Augusta's eyes quite tedious and disjointed at times but I am so glad I persevered. It provoked a lot of emotion for me and I ended up sobbing bucketful of tears during one section of the book. As Augusta matured throughout the novel I felt so in turn did the writing which improved my overall enjoyment.
Things I loved about the book:
Easy read. Although initially I didn't appreciate the easy read element as I found it quite childlike in places, I realise now that that was due to the age of Augusta and the author wanting the reader to really 'hear' Augusta's voice. On reflection I think it is actually this element that allows you grow with Augusta and walk in her shoes.
How the characters' stories intertwined. I loved this. From the very beginning Augusta and Parfait are destined to meet. Their whole lives are heading in the traumatic direction of finding one another. And through all the heartache they find hope, love and belonging.
Themes. There are a lot of themes that run alongside this novel. It delves head first into death and sadness but is then balanced by hopes, dreams and following your heart.
Family. Although Augusta is desperate to escape from her family, mainly her parents, it is actually her family that help fulfil one of her life long dreams.
Coming of age story. For me this felt like a coming of age story for Augusta. A little girl who was different, looking for escape, longing for a feeling of belonging and who matured, excepted the ways of others and found herself.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, if a book can evoke such strong emotions within then for me that is the sign of a good book and powerful author. I look forward to reading more by Joanna Glen.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in return for an honest review.
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