25 June 2019

Book Review | Winter Flower by Charles Sheehan-Miles (@CSheehanMiles)

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From the bestselling author of Just Remember to Breathe and The Last Hour, a shocking and poignant story of a family on the brink of destruction and the transformational events that could bring them back together—or tear them apart. 

Every day, Cole Roberts reminds himself that life wasn’t always this bleak. He was once passionately in love with Erin. Sam used to be an artistic and lively kid. They hadn’t always lived in a shabby two-room house in rural Alabama, where he runs a mediocre restaurant in the middle of nowhere.

That was before Brenna disappeared. It was before Cole lost his job and they lost their home.

Every day it gets worse. Erin drinks wine out of the bottle and spends her days with a tormented expression, searching the web for signs of their daughter. Sam hides in his room and rarely speaks. And Cole works himself to a stupor for a paycheck a fraction of the size of his old salary. 

Until one day a phone call changes everything.

winter flower is at once a tragic tale of the disappearance of a child; struggling with gender identity; of the dark world of sex-trafficking and the transformation and healing of a family. Sheehan-Miles’s longest novel delves into the depths of family life—and how, sometimes, we can heal and find restoration.


Book Review

5/5

Charles Sheehan-Miles once again delivered another thought-provoking, heart-pounding novel laced with so much reality that would keep his readers on the edge of their seats.

The Roberts family was just an ordinary family. He was in love with his wife, and his son, Sam, used to be an artistic and happy kid. They have a nice house in a nice neighborhood. He has a great job, and Erin was a stay at home mom. But everything went down the drain when their daughter, Brenna disappeared. He lost his job, they lost their home.

They end up in the middle of nowhere Alabama, in a worn-out house, where from his executive table, he runs a small restaurant. Everyday, their lives just spiral, Erin is finding comfort at the bottom of the double, while spending her days trying to find their daughter through the internet. Sam is keeping things to himself, and not talking to any of them. And him? He works himself to tiredness for a meager salary to support his family.

You can’t help but get the feels and submerge yourself with the characters as all of them try to survive. Cole, Erin, Sam and Brenna. This wasn’t for the faint of heart. The journey was not a walk in the park. It was hard, there were loads of bumps in the roads, and mistakes were done.

But what I love about this book is despite all the things that happened is the amount of support that surrounded the family. In their own small or big way, people helped, and it made all the difference in the world.

Especially with Sam and his secrets. I think he was the most affected when Brenna disappeared. He did not just lost his sister. He lost his best friend and his confidant. No one understood him better than his sister.

And Brenna, she’d been through hell, and I was glad our author did not sugarcoat it. It was painful to read and just heartbreaking. And perhaps what makes it so painful is the fact that this is happening in our society, and not all are lucky enough to find their daughters and bring them back into their homes. You can see her journey right from the start, and the rescue wasn’t really the end. There was so much more to do after she’d found her way back to her family. It was hard, but they were all working on it.

This book is all about love, family, survival, acceptance and forgiveness. This is something that would stay with your for a very long time and would tickle not only your senses, but your awareness of the things that is happening around us. Charles Sheehan-Miles managed to packed several social topics that are considered taboos into one book, and making it into one, big giant emotional rollercoaster ride, which was way worth it.   


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