Born into the lap of luxury and comfortable in the here and now, spoiled, tempestuous Tamara Goodwin has never had to look to the future—until the abrupt death of her father leaves her and her mother a mountain of debt and forces them to move in with Tamara's peculiar aunt and uncle in a tiny countryside village.
Tamara is lonely and bored, with a traveling library as her only diversion. There she finds a large leather-bound book with a gold clasp and padlock, but no author name or title. Intrigued, she pries open the lock, and what she finds inside takes her breath away.
Tamara sees entries written in her own handwriting, and dated for the following day. When the next day unfolds exactly as recorded, Tamara realizes she may have found a solution to her problems. But in her quest to find answers, Tamara soon learns that some pages are better left unturned and that, try as she may, she mustn't interfere with fate.
What a cute little modern fairy tale! I have a soft spot for magical realism and it is rendered beautifully in this novel. Tamara is a fully fleshed-out character...however, most of the other characters seem either a bit contrived (Rosaleen is pretty unrealistic) or two-dimensional. I was delighted with the slowly unfolding mystery and Tamara's use of the diary to try and discover clues. I also loved the underlying theme that one book can change your life :)
Even though this was in the adult fiction section of my library...I'm pretty sure this is a young adult novel. It definitely had the feel of a book geared towards high school readers as it is a story of Tamara's self-discovery (FYI: there's a bit of teen drinking and sex).
Overall, I thought this was an entertaining read...an enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
3.5/5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment