Mirabella's masterful writing of a broken family, and his incredible nuance with even the quietest moments, gave this book a life that went far beyond the pages. It's sometimes a difficult read, the dynamics here are so carefully written and so relatable, but as literary fiction goes, it's one of the most compelling novels I've read in some time. It's also worth noting that where a lot of novels lose tension in different storylines when an author weaves together the past and the present (or at least that's been my experience with similar storylines lately), Mirabella has crafted this work so beautifully that the movement between times only adds to the tension and the reader's understanding of the characters.

I'd absolutely recommend this to lit fic readers, and I'll be on the lookout for more work by Mirabella. ( )

It was outrageous, to be criticized by him, after she'd stood by him all these years, after she had held his blood in her hands, trying to press it back into his body. "It's all about what happened to you. You never asked me what it was like for me."

The old anger returned. He should know how much anger she'd kept inside her, afraid to send it in his direction, worried he couldn't handle it. Always worried about his feelings.

A long time ago, Willa and Justin were good friends. Willa looked up to her older brother and depended on him in a broken household, with a dead father and a mother trying to keep them going, with no room for nurturing. But in high school, they splintered apart. Through the years they've drifted apart, Justin into addiction and dealing with the aftermath of a brain injury, Willa working to create a quiet, secure life for herself, but when Justin knocks on her door asking for a place to stay, she cautiously lets him in. What follows is a novel about how hard it is to rebuild a broken relationship and how family has the power to both nurture and destroy. Both Willa and Justin were deeply marked by their childhood, Justin in obvious ways, but Willa just as deeply.

This is a novel about ordinary people, which is the kind of novel it turns out I really like. Mirabella takes a deep and careful look at two damaged people and asks if they will be ok and if they can be a part of each other's lives. He is willing to sit in uncomfortable places with his characters and he avoids all easy answers. I loved how he explores how even when you want the best for a family member and go to great lengths to help them, that your efforts might still be inadequate, and that even someone who has messed up again and again is deserving of care and love. Mirabella writes so well about difficult family relationships and I'm very eager to see what he writes next. ( )

Impossible to review! ( )

There was some decent writing in this book, but overall it was a waste of my time. The fact that it was notin chronological order made it somewhat more interesting, and some of Mirabella's descriptions were very well written. I know that many people are difficult to live with and to bear, but his descriptions of their everyday activities did not enlighten me at all. I also did not need to know the details of every smell or ugliness or sexual act that the characters performed. Luckily for me, it was a very fast read. ( )

Exquisite! A very impressive debut. The writing is eloquent and the characters are thoughtfully nurtured into life. I liked how the play on the fairytale was realized and the story so realistic. The only issue was I found the shifts in time periods seemed abrupt and awkward in places, but smoothed out as you move along.

I read it as an ebook but have since ordered a hard copy, because I know it’s a book I want to read again and savour. ( )