I got this book through the Penguin Readers Rewards Program.
Publisher: Doubleday
Published: July 25, 2023
Summary:
A gripping literary page-turner from a rising Irish talent in which former friends, estranged for twenty years, reckon with the terrifying events of the summer that changed their lives.
In the seaside village of Kinlough, on Ireland’s west coast, three old friends meet for the first time in years. They—Helen, Joe and Mush—were part of an original group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with motherless, reckless Kala Lanann at its white-hot center. But later that year, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now remains have been discovered in the woods—including a skull with a Polaroid photo tucked inside—and the town is both aghast and titillated at reopening this old wound.
On the eve of this gruesome discovery, Helen had reluctantly returned for her father’s wedding, the world-famous musician Joe had come home to dry out and reconnect with something authentic, and Mush had never left, too shattered by the events of that summer to venture beyond the counter of his mother’s café. But when two more girls go missing, they are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala’s disappearance. Ultimately, they must do what others should have done before to stop the violent patterns of their town’s past repeating themselves once again.
In cracklingly vivid prose, Kala brilliantly examines the sometimes brutal costs of belonging, as well as the battle in the human heart between vengeance and forgiveness, despair and redemption.
My thoughts:
I love books set in Ireland, so once I started hearing about this one, I knew I had to read it…and I’m glad I did. It’s the type of book I love – a haunting mystery told in a more literary style.
This is most definitely a slow-burn type of read, one that while you want to rush through to get all the answers, you also find yourself taking time to really absorb the gorgeous writing and just taking in all that is being written. The sense of place is so strong. I felt that I was there in the seaside village of Kinlough, with the group of friends as they try to make sense of what happened all those years ago, especially when bones are discovered and two more girls go missing. There is a sense of darkness lingering here, along with secrets that have been buried that need to come to light.
Told from the perspective of three of Kala’s friends, this story, which is part coming of age, part thriller, effortlessly moves back and forth in time, filling in their relationship to Kala and what was going on leading up to her disappearance all those years ago. The characters were well-developed and quite empathetic. I felt drawn into what was going on and that kept me glued to the story. It was like being given an intimate look at all that was happening.
This was such a complex, layered story that really exceeded my expectations and one that I highly recommend. And it is definitely going down as one of my favorites of the year. This was a fantastic debut and I cannot wait to see what is next from Colin Walsh.
