Thank you Brilliance Audio for the ALC and Get Red PR , #partner, for the advanced copy of A Light in the Forest in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing / Brilliance Audio
Published: December 13, 2022
Summary:
From Melissa Payne, bestselling author of The Night of Many Endings, comes an emotional and suspenseful novel about the weight of secrets and the healing power of friends and family.
Vega Jones escapes an abusive relationship with nothing but her two-month-old baby and the van she grew up in. Her destination is a small Ohio town her late vagabond mother left years ago. It’s one full of nobodies, her mother warned. That makes it the ideal refuge for Vega to lie low, feel safe, and maybe learn more about a past her mother never spoke of.
Vega warms to the town and to new acquaintances like Heff, the young deputy and artist who prefers his yard art to actual policing, and empathetic Eve, a local farmer whose near-death experience gave her more than just her life back. But even in this welcoming community, there’s an undercurrent of something unsettled, talk of a tragedy that unfolded in the woods years ago, and a mystery connected to Vega in ways she couldn’t have anticipated.
As a mother on the run and following a path of mounting risks and illuminating secrets, Vega discovers that even during the darkest of times, there’s light in unexpected places.
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Melissa Payne but it certainly will not be the last. It is this month’s #GetRedPRBookclub pick and I loved being able to chat with the author about the book.
This is such an emotional, gripping story about one woman’s journey in trying to find herself when it seems that the odds are stacked against her. I love stories of found families and this one is that and a whole lot more! This book in a lot of ways reminded me of my brother taking on raising his daughter by himself, but slowly realizing that he needed others – he needed the help of his family and friends – and that is what Vega comes to find out when she arrives in the small town of Crystal, Ohio.
I will say, though, that this one does cover a lot of dark themes so just know that going in. It’s not a light-hearted read but I also think that is what makes it such a layered story and gives it to much depth. I loved the way the book alternates between the past and the present so that we see glimpses of what life was like for Vega’s mom and why she led the life she did. Each of the characters we meet have such interesting backstories and I loved the way everything slowly unravels. As the book moves back and forth, secrets come out at just the right time.
I’m so glad we picked this one for our bookclub. It really had a lot to unpack and hearing everyone’s thoughts as well as being able to talk with the author only enhanced my enjoyment of the book. Now I’m quite eager to pick up Melissa Payne’s other books.
Audio thoughts:
As I typically like to do when given the chance, I listened to this one and I found myself glued to the story. The narrator, Kay Eluvian, was new to me, and I thought she did a good job bringing the story to life.
