The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings
| The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings | |
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| Category: General Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Zoe Morris
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| Summary: A story of life and loss, this is not an uplifting book, nor is it compelling, but it's still a reasonable read | |
| Buy? Maybe | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 288 | Date: January 2016 |
| Publisher: Vintage | |
| ISBN: 978-0099597780 | |
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Sarah's son has just died in an avalanche and as such this is a book very much about bereavement and grieving and what next. It's odd to think that a basis of personal tragedy made this an intriguing read, but that was the case. I was attracted to this book because of the setting. We just spent Christmas in a North American ski resort and it was a completely different experience from boarding in the Alps. This was something I thought the book did well, and the setting was superb and unique. I also enjoyed Sarah's job as a low key TV anchor, a job that meant scenes at her work were interesting.
At the same time, I thought it was big on style but low on substance, the sort of book that took me a few weeks to read because I enjoyed it at the time but could easily put it down and then leave it for a few days or longer before going back to it. The story wasn't going anywhere, so my drive to continue waned.
Sarah is joined by an interesting cast of characters including her father and her best friend. These are people she knew before the accident, and which she will know far after too. Then there's Kit. The arrival of a new character should always be a warning sign. Why are they here? Would we bother talking about them if they were insignificant or passing through? I think you know the answer to those questions and that's a shame because it makes it easier to guess what is coming next.
This was the difficult second book (following The Descendants), and though I haven't read the other, I get the impression that this new release is similar in a lot of ways, even if the setting has changed from the beach to the mountains. Familiar themes of an untimely death and life spent living in the place others only briefly visit resonate. It's quite an indulgent book and time is spent focusing on the smallest of points. I did enjoy it but more for the writing than the story, hence my lack of compulsion to keep reading with any regularity.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending us a copy to review. For more on the death of a child, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is written for a teen audience but in no way unsuitable for adult readers also.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Possibilities by Kaui Hart Hemmings at Amazon.com.
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