3.5 rounded up to 4. I'm trying to be fair, because the author is a talented writer, but here's the thing: this is being sold as genre fiction. This is not genre fiction, it's literary fiction. If that's what I had wanted to read, I'm sure I would have liked this better.

It got off to a great start, full of mystery and suspense (which is what it's categorized under at Amazon). But then it slowed until it dragged. Instead of a crafty plot, there was narrative heavy analysis. The second narrator works in the beginning to add intrigue and keep you reading, but these scenes lose steam until their sole purpose is to fill in (far-fetched) blanks. The ending felt rushed. Instead of a satisfying conclusion, there was the stasis of simply continuing to exist which for some reason is such a popular theme in literary fiction.

After finishing the book I checked to see what genre they were marketing it as, and I saw that it won multiple awards. Literary awards. Well deserved, because it's a lyrical book - but that's not what I wanted. ( )

3.5 rounded up to four!

( )

3.5 stars.

Set in the mid 1970s, The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson is an atmospheric tale of mystery and intrigue.

One hot summer day in 1976, fourteen year Roberta Lynn (Bert), sixteen year old Willet and six year Pansy head to the quarry to go swimming although their father has warned them to stay away from the cursed swimming hole. Bert and Willet leave Pansy, who is a strong swimmer, while they go and pick berries. A strong but brief storm hits and in the aftermath, Bert discovers Pansy has vanished. Despite countless news stories and numerous searches, no trace of the little girl is ever found. Also missing is the kids' father who was out of town on "business" and he too disappears without a trace. Willet and Bert try to keep their remaining family together, but will their mother ever accept the fact that neither Pansy nor her husband will return?

Willet and Bert never give up hope their father and sister will be found, but they are realistic enough to know they might never see them again. In the aftermath of the disappearances, they have no choice but to step up and take care of themselves and their mother. Willet takes whatever jobs he can find and Bert works with their Granny Clem. By the early eighties, they are old enough to follow a few leads to Florida where they hope to find answers about their missing family members.

Interspersed with the events unfolding in the present are chapters detailing the tragic history of the quarry. How these stories fit into the mystery of Pansy's disappearance does not become clear until late in the novel. These chapters are interesting but without context, they are a little confusing.

The Past Is Never by Tiffany Quay Tyson is a somewhat gloomy and slow paced novel. The characters are well defined and the legends about the quarry are somewhat mystical and quite eerie. The novel comes to satisfying but somewhat bittersweet conclusion. ( )

Southern Gothic takes us to the Mississippi Delta and a quarry said to be evil, cursed. Three siblings told to give a berth to this quarry, instead it becomes a place they regularly go to swim. Something horrible happened here in the past, bug the past is never, it is carried inside the person or inside a place that has seen the evil of man. Something terrible happens on this the three siblings last day, and changes their lives forevermore.

Fantastic characters, all terribly flawed as the most interesting characters often are the easiest in which to connect for the reader. Dark, atmospheric, descriptive, the story of what happened at the quarry years ago, and what happened at the quarry now. Some evil events can mark a person, leave its mark on a specific place. Two siblings will head out to the Everglades trying to solve the mysteries at the heart of their family. We make the connections within their family as we follow along. Totally drawn into this one. Loved the way it was written and the dark tone used to such great effect.

The closest comparison I can make between this book and others is with the author [author:John Hart|47072]. Though this one is a bit more centered, tightly plotted. A wonderful sisters read where we all founded it great.

ARC from Edelweiss. ( )