Book Review: THE WAY FROM HERE by Jane Cockram

 

Title: THE WAY FROM HERE

Author:  Jane Cockram

Publisher:  Harlequin Australia HQ

Read: January 2022

Expected publication: 2 March 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Three generations of women. Three generations worth of secrets. Will a cache of letters from beyond the grave hold the key to unravelling them all? The answer to that question lies at the heart of this addictive and atmospheric novel from the author of The House of Brides.

Growing up, the Anderson sisters could not have been more different. Susie, the wild one, had an adventurous life while Camilla— Mills—followed a safer path. When Susie suddenly dies, Mills falls apart. Until she receives a bundle of mysterious letters from her estranged sister to be read in the case of her death. Each letter instructs her to visit a place special to Susie, both to spread her ashes but also to uncover some truths Susie has long kept hidden from her family.

What attracted me to this book:

 

I love sister mysteries, and family secrets, so THE WAY FROM HERE was the perfect book for me, as it spun both themes into a suspenseful story that touched my heart.

My musings:

 

Camilla has always been the sensible, rational Anderson sister, whilst Susie was the wild, spontaneous, rebellious one. When Susie dies tragically just before her 40^th birthday, Camilla is left with just a bundle of letters from her sister, urging her to go overseas and visit places from Susie’s past that changed her life and put a distance between the sisters that Camilla could never fully explain. Intrigued, Camilla sets off to France to walk in her sister’s footsteps and solve the mystery of what happened to her that long ago summer that had such a lasting effect on Susie’s life ....

 

I loved the way Cockram portrayed Camilla and Susie’s sister relationship, a bond that seems tenuous at times and yet draws the siblings together time and time again, despite the differences in their personalities. Camilla’s quest to find out about her sister’s past was as touching as it was intriguing, and I was instantly hooked and fully invested in finding out the answers for myself. It certainly also helped that Cockram sets her story on a picturesque little French island, adding some delicious armchair travel to the mix. The more clues Camilla uncovered, the clearer it became that this was one family mystery that would go deeper than just your average misstep on a youthful backpacking adventure. We learn how all the women’s fates in the family are connected, from the sisters to their mother and grandmother, each of their decisions affecting the rest of their lives as well as future generations.

 

 

Summary:

 

THE WAY FROM HERE is a story about three generations of women bound by a secret that will have far-reaching effects on all of their lives. All relationships are wonderfully drawn, dipping into a well of emotions that touched my heart and made me connect to each character on a visceral level until I felt like a participant in the story rather than just a casual observer. Nellie, Margaret, Susie and Camilla each have unique voices that tell their side of the story as we gradually uncover the dark shadow that has lain over the family for generations. Intriguing and bittersweet, this book will appeal to readers who love a good character driven sister mystery.

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia HQ for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.