Book Review: Little Broken Things by Nicole Baart

One of the reasons I love online book clubs – I read books like this! Thank you Salt Water Reads!

Book Description:

An engrossing and suspenseful novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Amy Hatvany about an affluent suburban family whose carefully constructed facade starts to come apart with the unexpected arrival of an endangered young girl.

I have something for you. When Quinn Cruz receives that cryptic text message from her older sister Nora, she doesn’t think much of it. They haven’t seen each other in nearly a year and thanks to Nora’s fierce aloofness, their relationship consists mostly of infrequent phone calls and an occasional email or text. But when a haunted Nora shows up at the lake near Quinn’s house just hours later, a chain reaction is set into motion that will change both of their lives forever.

My Thoughts:

I’ve cut the above blurb short because I don’t think you need to know any more than what’s stated above before reading this book. Little Broken Things is a highly suspenseful novel, secrets have been kept for years – but you know what they say ‘everything done in the dark, will eventually come to light.’ The mystery surrounding this young girl thrust into Quinn’s care, with no explanation, will draw you in completely. But this novel is so much more than a mystery novel alone, it’s an exploration of motherhood, of how a family breaks and attempts to piece itself back together again.

If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ll know I’m a sucker for pain, that pain wrapped up in beauty the author, in this case Baart, writes so that it hits you straight in the heart. Each of the Sanford woman carry their own bit of hurt, but this child, dear Everlee, I just wanted to scoop her up in my arms and shower her with love the way a mother would her only child, such is the power of Baart’s writing. Everlee doesn’t speak much throughout the novel but you sense in her this need for soothing.

“I have a deep affection for broken things.”

This novel is also darkly atmospheric in a mesmerising way; one of the things I really think helps build an atmosphere is when as author uses a one-word sentence to strengthen the previous sentence:

“But the words were thick and heavy on her tongue. Bitter.”

I really liked that Baart chose to tell this story from multiple viewpoints; Quinn, Nora, and their mother, Liz are layered characters and by giving each of them a point of view, we not only got to see the pieces of this puzzle fall inline but we get a chance to get to know each of these women.

Several times I went to purchase this novel and it was sold out everywhere, and having now read it, I can see why it’s so popular. If you’re a fan of the high-octane thrill ride, you won’t find that here – you have to be patient with this novel but it’ll win your heart in the end, especially if you’re a fan of Women’s Literary Fiction, slow-paced but suspenseful in nature, if you enjoy a family drama, then I highly recommend you read Little Broken Things.

This book is available to buy from: Amazon UK / Book Depository