Review by Booklist Review
Abigail Bennett lives a quiet, ordered life; she has to, in order to keep herself from being drawn into the barely controlled chaos that surrounds her sister Hailey. Always up and down emotionally, and ready to break into hysterics at the drop of a hat, Hailey is finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder in her early teens. Being with Hailey is stressful, painful, and exasperating. Abigail has always been the only one in her family to deal with Hailey's problems, rather than just hoping they'll go away if they're not spoken of. Things seem to be calming down and looking optimistic; then Hailey commits suicide. Stunned and looking for answers, Abigail finds one in the suicide note: It wasn't you; it was Tyler. Abigail dedicates herself to finding Tyler so she can figure out what exactly he did to Hailey, and how she is going to deal with him. A taut, engrossing story about familial love and redemption.--Hatton, Hilary Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Baart (Summer Snow) writes an emotionally intense tale of two sisters. Past and present alternate as the history of their family unfolds in order to explain their present circumstances. The present is largely set in a winery in British Columbia, where one of the sisters, Abigail Bennett, pursues Tyler Kamp, her sister Hailey's boyfriend. The vineyard offers opportunity for beautiful description and resonant imagery as the narrative unspools. Abigail is presented in painful, almost claustrophobic, detail as she deals with the central puzzle of her family and history. But some of the supporting characters, while intriguing, are slightly off-pitch. Hailey's boyfriend Tyler isn't presented fully enough, and winemaker Eli Dixon occasionally becomes more of a symbol than a character with a compelling back story. But Baart has exactly right the members and dynamics of the Bennett family, locked in the manic dance of mental illness. She tells a poignant and gripping story. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
In this complex story of two sisters, Abigail Bennett is an accountant whose well-ordered life is turned upside down when she pursues her obsession, Tyler Kamp, to a winery in British Columbia. Tragic yet hinting at mercy and forgiveness, Baart's (After the Leaves Fall) well-crafted contemporary novel features engaging characters and will appeal to readers who have had to deal with difficult family relationships. For CF and women's fiction collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
