Wow! This was such a gripping story. Told from Aarav's point of view and therefore biased, one-sided, and not fully understanding of everything that happened around him as a teenager (when his mother disappeared). I highly recommend the audiobook for the accent and the emotions laced in the narrators voice. Really lends to the depth of the story and the eeriness. This novel made very good use of the unreliable narrator trope. With Aarav having been in a serious accident, including a broken leg, he has a hard time getting around and he relies on painkillers. As the novel continues, Aarav's situation begins to get worse, his character becomes questionable, he seems to be having hallucinations, black outs, and strange occurrences are happening on his street. It was fun to try and figure out how much of what he was saying might actually have been occurring and how much seemed to be happening inside his mind. I loved the mystery and was honestly surprised by the ending. I figured out part of it, but the truth kind of blew me away. It was so thoroughly plotted and pieces so slowly, but perfectly, revealed that the story paced well and kept me focused and interested. All of the characters had motives, the whole street full of possible suspects. Aarav is suspicious of them all, and for good reason. This is truly the shady side of wealth, with all the secrecy, the darkness that each family hides. Even Aarav's own family is not without reproach, his father being the prime suspect in his mother's murder, and the events about himself his father seems to be withholding. But, Aarav only cares about the truth, even if it means he uncovers truths about himself. He is such a compelling character because you like him, even as you question if you should. There is past interspersed with the present, which also adds to the bleakness of the story. Aarav's relationship with both his mother and the only other significant woman in his life, Paige, reveal a great deal about his pain, his loneliness, and his inability to forge real connections. Both of these women essentially leave him and he has a hard time trusting that he is worthwhile. Also, trusting that he is a good person. Honestly, this was one of the better mystery/thrillers I have read in a long while. The landscape of New Zealand really lends to the isolated feeling of Aarav's mother's last resting place, of his search for the truth, and of his own pain and loss. Highly recommend.
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