Synopsis from Goodreads:
Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life.
She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns.
And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this.
Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail—and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny’s careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life—but what if her past catches up to her first?
Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne’s stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who's simply unforgettable.
My Review
Lenny Marks doesn’t have much of a life. She has no friends, she eats the same meals every day, she watches Friends non-stop and plays Scrabble with Monica from Friends. It’s the life she prefers after her mother and stepfather abandoned her when she was just a child.
Suddenly she finds herself making friends at work. Perhaps she’ll even find herself in a new relationship. When she receives a letter from the parole board, memories of her childhood slowly start to return. Everything changes for Lenny and her new life.
It’s an interesting storyline as the reader is given bits and pieces of information throughout the story. You don’t really know what happened until the end. A few things I figured out, but most of it I didn’t. It’s a captivating story that keeps you guessing. It’s a page-turner to say the least.
This is a poignant, dark storyline filled with mystery and a heroine you can care about. Lenny Marks is a unique, quirky character. My heart went out to her throughout the entire book.
I’ll be on the lookout for more books by this author.
For reading challenges:
Cloak & Dagger Reading Challenge 2024
FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.
That looks good.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a fun one! I'm adding it to my TBR.
ReplyDelete