The Rise Of Light by Olivia Hawker.
Thank you to the author for sending me an ARC of The Rise Of Light which I won in a giveaway. I have previously read One For The Blackbird, One For The Crow.
Book Synopsis
A powerful novel about the expectations of family—and the risks and liberation of defying them—by the Washington Post bestselling author of One for the Blackbird, One for the Crow.
1975. In the town of Rexburg, Idaho, aspiring artist Aran Rigby, his younger sister, Tamsin, and their two brothers are locked in orbit around their emotionally abusive father. Gad is the kind of man who soothes the failures of his own life by controlling the lives of others. But Aran and Tamsin are united in rebellion against their father. They understand each other. They have dreams beyond their small town.
Arriving in Rexburg is Linda Duff, an outsider from Seattle hoping to plant new roots far from the bitter ones of her childhood. She’s quickly taken with Aran, in no small part because of his talent. But when they fall in love, Linda is drawn into a family more damaged than the one she left behind. She also becomes privy to a secret Aran and Tamsin share that could dismantle everything everyone holds dear.
Upsetting the precarious balance in the Rigby home, Linda becomes an unwitting catalyst for the upheaval of Gad’s oppression. Now it’s time for them all to break free of the past, overcome the unforgivable, and find a new way forward—whatever the price.
My Thoughts
The story in this book is told from the perspective of multiple narrators, members of the Rigby family, and friends as well as newcomers to the family, and instead of the chapters having only numbers, the author has given the chapters titles as well.
This story explores our ability to forgive not only others, but ourselves and to move forward. There are metaphors present in this novel which for me added to the experience of reading. This novel also covers family obligation and the ties to family, friends, and community.
This novel is very well written and I felt almost as immersed in this story as I did when I read One For The Blackbird, One For The Crow, which remains my favorite of the two books I have read by this author and I highly recommend reading it.
My Rating: 4/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Book Details
Author: Olivia Hawker.
Publisher: Lake Union.
Publication Date: August 17, 2021.
Genre: Historical Fiction. Fiction. Family saga.
Edition: Paperback.
Pages: 458.