The Forgiving Kind by Donna Everhart

I should be happy that I kept to my schedule of Advance Review Copies for January as planned and reviewed them accordingly. Then of course all well laid plans go awry. I added a few more books to my NetGalley queue (I am now terrified of looking at my reviewed percentage on my profile). There are a total of five books that release(d) this month that I have to tackle as a backlist. I may be making it sound like a chore but a part of me is revelling in the scheduling of the task as well as the reading that is involved. Now moving on to this book all set to release on the 29th.

The cover I feel misled me when I first started reading it(I had forgotten the blurb by then). It has a very mild look(must be all that cotton) but it is a much harder book to stomach than expected. It tackles some very strong issues from the viewpoint of a child. This makes it both easier and harsher to watch the events unfold.

Sonny/Martha is in love with her land. She gets that from her father, someone she looks up to and who holds the family together. Then tragedy strikes and her brothers and mother are left untethered and looking for direction and financial constraints weigh heavily on them. Then Sonny has to watch helplessly while the neighbour muscles his way into their lives with equal part intimidation and skill. Things are never the same but the family bond pulls them together at every crucial stage. This is a straightforward tale in most ways, and I did feel the sadness of the family and hoped for change with every turn of the page (this was a digital copy, but you know what I mean) and although it had the kind of ending I hoped for, it felt a little rushed considering the speed of the rest of the events. This is the only reason it is not a complete five-star read for me but it would be for anyone who is interested in reading books in this genre. I would definitely recommend it.

Affiliated link if you want to purchase the book: Book Depository