Book Review: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields Goodreads
Books,  Fiction

Book Review: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields

Book Review: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields Goodreads
Goodreads

Book Review: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields

The lowdown from Goodreads

Publication Date April 1, 2019

A harrowing debut novel of a tragic disappearance and one sister’s journey through the trauma that has shaped her life.

For eleven-year-old Esme, ballet is everything—until her four-year-old sister, Lily, vanishes without a trace and nothing is certain anymore. People Esme has known her whole life suddenly become suspects, each new one hitting closer to home than the last.

Unable to cope, Esme escapes the nightmare that is her new reality when she receives an invitation to join an elite ballet academy in San Francisco. Desperate to leave behind her chaotic, broken family and the mystery surrounding Lily’s disappearance, Esme accepts.

Eight years later, Esme is up for her big break: her first principal role in Paris. But a call from her older sister shatters the protective world she has built for herself, forcing her to revisit the tragedy she’s run from for so long. Will her family finally have the answers they’ve been waiting for? And can Esme confront the pain that shaped her childhood, or will the darkness follow her into the spotlight?

Book Review: A Lily in the Light by Kristin Fields

We meet a ballet prodigy with her whole life ahead of her. When her little sister goes missing, her life, along with her family is thrown into a tailspin.

Family  Drama

One thing I really enjoy about A Lily in the Light is this imperfect family. Well, let me be clear. I don’t particularly like this family, but I appreciate Kristin Fields writing about a dysfunctional family in a way that resonates with authenticity. As she paints this picture of a family struggling, readers really champion Esme. We want her to make it out of this hell hole & go on to live an amazing life, right?

Everything derails when Lily goes missing. Esme moves on & moves away from her family. In effect, they are stuck searching for Lily, while she attempts to distance herself from her childhood in every way. Years later, news arrives about Lily’s disappearance. In an instant, the news yanks Esme back into her dysfunctional family filled with secrets & despair.

As secrets come to light, I kept turning the pages. While I wouldn’t necessarily classify A Lily in the Light as suspense, I finished it one day. Although I found the plot to be a little slow in places, it kind of fit with the theme of the book. Lily’s disappearance is drawn out over the course of the novel & everything revolves around it.

Kristin Fields does a great job reeling in readers with this family’s realistic situation. It’s about impossible not to feel for this family. I also really enjoy ballet as a supporting character in the novel.

THE VERDICT

I am Into This book. While at times haunting & heartbreaking, this novel is about resilience, love & family.

Special thanks to Kristin FieldsLake Union Publishing & Kathleen Carter for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: KRISTIN FIELDS

Kristin Fields grew up in Queens, which she likes to think of as a small town next to a big city. Kristin studied writing at Hofstra University, where she was awarded the Eugene Schneider Award for Short Fiction. After college, Kristin found herself working on a historic farm, as a high school English teacher, designing museum education programs, and is currently leading an initiative to bring gardens to New York City public schools. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband.

Momma, wife, baker, reader & smart ass. I am Really Into doughnuts, inside jokes, trash TV, pizza, 48 Hours & George Michael.

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