Valerie Geary

(*I received this book in exchange for an honest review.)

Overall, it's a well-written and well-executed book. I enjoyed Geary's stylistic choice of alternating points of view in the book. She rotates between Lucy's point of view in present day as she attempts to figure out what happened to her older brother Nolan ten years ago. Throughout the book we're also taken back to the events of ten years ago from Nolan's perspective. We're able to see how his mind works and his perspective of events all those years ago.

Through these alternating perspectives, Geary slowly unravels what happened to Nolan, Lucy, and their friends. Each chapter adds to the previous and we as readers are slowly given clues as to what all happened that fateful year.

The only thing that could have been improved upon is the ending. I understand people's frustrations that it wasn't spelled out in black and white. However, it was definitely implied as to what happened to Nolan, you'll have to read between the lines in order to figure it out. Due to not having an omniscient narrator, there is no way for the author to spell it out point blank for people. The story telling comes from Lucy in the end and we can only know as much as she was there for and able to remember. I do think a last chapter from Nolan's perspective or even Celeste's might have been a nice touch, but I do also understand why the author ended the book the way she did.

If you're into psychological mysteries and talk of extraterrestrial existence, then you would enjoy this book. I was engaged throughout the entire book and even though it's over 400 pages, it didn't feel long in the slightest.… (mere)

this is really good - well written, engaging, with a couple of side stories and characters i enjoyed being around. this is well done. there's mystery and a little suspense, and some very good writing. it's kind of everything i hope for when i pick up a mystery. we find out sooner than is typical who the killer is, so it wort of combines the effects of a mystery and a thriller at the end. she did a nice job, i thought, of making this feel modern even though it took place in the 80's. i didn't notice so much the lack of cell phones and things like that, and it felt very like it could have been set today, but at the same time there were none of today's devices and amenities, and that was handled well. it's not quite perfect, but i really liked it, and once i got into it, i sped through it. it reads fast and fun and i'm looking forward to reading her again.

i'm pretty sure clara never told anyone but the reader that she killed nathan, so this shouldn't have been solved. or if it was, because the same weapon was used on him as on zach, it shouldn't have felt so wrapped up, since brett could only speculate at how nathan got the info on clara that made her kill him.

i'm always so interested in the people's emotions and as much as i liked this, i'd also love a book that's about marshall and his finding out that his wife is a killer, and what that's like for him. his understanding of himself and his daughter, and how it makes him rewrite, or not, the last 20 years of his life with this woman. i find that stuff fascinating and i know he wasn't a main character and we didn't get into his head, but it would have been interesting to be there for his process.

"Crestwood wasn't so small a town that nothing interesting ever happened, but small enough that everyone came out to watch when it did."… (mere)

Everything We Lost by Valerie Geary is an intriguing mystery that explores UFOs, extraterrestrial and government conspiracies. This compelling novel centers around the still unresolved disappearance of then sixteen year old Nolan Durrant, whose increasingly erratic and paranoid behavior and intractable belief in all things UFO raises makes him an outcast among his classmates and an embarrassment to his younger sister, Lucy.

The ten year anniversary of her brother's disappearance is the catalyst for Lucy's return to the small town of Bishop, CA where she hopes to finally remember what happened the night Nolan vanished. The siblings were thick as thieves until Lucy catches the eye of Nolan's former friend, Patrick Tyndale, and she begins hanging out with him and his friends. This coincides with Nolan's new relationship with newcomer, Celeste, whose sudden appearance in town and mysterious past fuels his theory that space aliens walk among us. In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Nolan's paranoid, volatile and delusional behavior begins to worsen after a few altercations with Patrick. Lucy's memories of the night Nolan vanished are lost in a drunken haze of disjointed impressions and overwhelming guilt. Will Lucy's return to Bishop finally lead her the truth about what happened to her brother?

Lucy and Nolan's childhood was anything but normal due to their parents' divorce and their mother's slow descent into alcoholism. Lucy was more than happy to tag along with Nolan on his fantasy fueled adventures about other planets, UFOs and space aliens. However, around the time Lucy becomes involved with Patrick, Nolan's interest in UFOs and extraterrestrials takes a dark turn and he grows increasingly unstable and convinced the government is after him. Patrick is charismatic and Lucy easily falls prey to his manipulations as she tries to keep his interest. With his lifelong fascination with outer space, Lucy's attempt to distance herself from her brother and their mother's neglect, Nolan's slow descent into mental illness is easily overlooked.

Written from both Lucy and Nolan's points of view and alternating between past and present, Everything We Lost is an engaging mystery. Valerie Geary does an excellent job keeping readers off balance as she delves into the possibilities of life on other planets and extraterrestrials in our midst. She also broaches the difficult topic of mental illness with a great deal of sensitivity. Although the novel's conclusion is somewhat open-ended, it is relatively easy to surmise Nolan's fate. All in all, a perplexing mystery that explores some interesting subject matter.… (mere)

When their mother dies, two sisters go to live with their father. But his home is a tent, his life is the keeping of bees, and one of the sisters has stopped talking. Also, there’s a body in the river.

Sam doesn’t believe in ghosts or lost voices. Ollie can’t get away from them. But all could still be well until Bear comes under suspicion of murder. Then a town’s prejudice incites a child’s curiosity. And the ghost wants her killer found.

A voiceless child might find it just as hard to be heard as one who can speak. A voiceless bee can’t prove who harmed the hive. And a voiceless ghost can’t answer. But there might be ways, and there might be more to life than can be seen. Good, bad and in between, the characters of this tale prove that good people make mistakes, and that mistakes can be forgiven. Even bees move on and try again. But If someone refuses to move…

Evocative scenery, believable characters of all ages, heart-breaking plot, and a haunting touch of magical realism—this mystery has it all and I really enjoyed it.

Disclosure: A friend knew I’d like it so she loaned it to me. Thank you!… (mere)