We Are All the Same in the Dark by Julia Heaberlin
Synopsis:
Set in Texas, this book has a Southern mystery feel. It reminds me of some of Joshilyn Jackson’s books, where there’s a lot of family secrets and buried history.
The book starts off with Wyatt, who picks up a one-eyed girl on his trucking route. He sort of insinuates that he’s a creep - or, that’s what my paranoid brain took away from his internal monologue. He also talks to his sister Trumanell.
Next is Odette, a 4th generation cop in this little town. She gets a report about Wyatt having a young girl in his house. The whole town believes that Wyatt murdered his abusive father, Frank, and his sister, Trumanell, as they are missing and have never been found.
Finally, the girl by many names, Angel. Odette has been missing for years, and Angel is determined to find out what happened, as Odette helped her out of a tough spot. Has Odette been murdered, and by who? Wyatt, the suspected murderer and town pariah? Her ex-husband, Finn? Did the same person make Trumanell and Frank disappear?
I did not see the ending coming and I was practically biting my nails off during that last little bit.
It’s more town and family drama than thriller, more mysterious and a little slower paced. It’s not a Gone Girl type of novel by any means. But it is still SO GOOD. It would get a poor rating as a thriller, but as a drama/mystery, I think it really deserves 5 stars.
The book starts off with Wyatt, who picks up a one-eyed girl on his trucking route. He sort of insinuates that he’s a creep - or, that’s what my paranoid brain took away from his internal monologue. He also talks to his sister Trumanell.
Next is Odette, a 4th generation cop in this little town. She gets a report about Wyatt having a young girl in his house. The whole town believes that Wyatt murdered his abusive father, Frank, and his sister, Trumanell, as they are missing and have never been found.
Finally, the girl by many names, Angel. Odette has been missing for years, and Angel is determined to find out what happened, as Odette helped her out of a tough spot. Has Odette been murdered, and by who? Wyatt, the suspected murderer and town pariah? Her ex-husband, Finn? Did the same person make Trumanell and Frank disappear?
I did not see the ending coming and I was practically biting my nails off during that last little bit.
It’s more town and family drama than thriller, more mysterious and a little slower paced. It’s not a Gone Girl type of novel by any means. But it is still SO GOOD. It would get a poor rating as a thriller, but as a drama/mystery, I think it really deserves 5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
My Feelings/Reactions:
I started reading Joshilyn Jackson's books maybe six or so years ago after just stumbling along them in the library and picking up A Grown Up Kind of Pretty because I liked the cover. I do a lot of judging by the cover when it comes to picking up books. Again, this is not a Gone Girl. There's a twist, but it's not that kind of chilling perverse insanity that made Gone Girl so well-known. It's more of an "oh god, wow, that's depressing and now I get it," sort of twist. My heart-sank a little- but, I loved that kind of twist because it really wrapped up everything in a way that made sense to me.
This book reminded me a lot of Jackson's writing, though definitely more dark! The characters were intense and well-developed. I felt that each seemed to have a very distinct voice.
Excerpts:
"Natives often return, especially the ones who swear they never will." I remember in high school, how many of us had dreams outside of New Mexico or just our tiny town. Most of us never got the chance to leave. Jared and I made it out... and ironically, kind of want to go back.
"No, my cousin is not charmed. Her empathy and resilience just make it appear that way."
"Loving dark men is a seesaw. They never tell you everything. You always wonder if the tiny red spot a shirt is really from a spaghetti dinner like they claim. But then they put a bird back in a nest. They pull a drowning kid out of the water. And that's all it takes. The spaghetti is not blood."
"The avengers outside are the worst kind, the ones in silver cross necklaces, baseball caps, and Life is good T-shirts. The ones who stay up until midnight to build their first-graders' Alamo projects out of sugar cubes, cancel a Thanksgiving cruise to bring Grandma some turkey in the hospital, spend a full paycheck on ACL surgery for the family dog. Their love for God and family is just as manic as their hate."
Spoilers: Read at Your Own Risk!
This doesn't account for everything, so make sure you read the book!
Well, Odette's father was hiding something. Wyatt was not a murderer, but Odette's uncle, the preacher, murdered Ray and, accidentally, Trumanell, then called Odette's father to help him clean up the scene. Wyatt seems to 'hear' Trumanell's ghost, but she's definitely not alive at any point. Odette's uncle then murders Odette when she starts to figure it out. Angel is able to solve both the cases.
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