Reach beyond the pain. Reach beyond the darkness. Hope is a lighthouse.Out of the blue, Rebecca Stafford’s Father arrives to parent her after years of absence. He then extracts her last bit of normalcy by moving them to Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The shocking news plunges Rebecca into a despair that brings about an otherworldly encounter; she begins to have visions of her deceased Mom. Uncertain … Uncertain whether what she sees is reality or the product of a troubled mind, Rebecca searches for an anchor to keep her from drifting in the new coastal town. She clings to Shawn, the eccentric, spritely boy-next-door promising adventures…with surprises of his own, involving an Irish legend and a hidden lighthouse. This brings on a whole new dimension to Rebecca’s visions, and sparks feverish romance between her and Shawn. A bond eventually threatened by forces beyond her control, sending her spiralling into dark, stormy places, leaving her to wonder how broken a mind can get.
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Young love, an Irish legend, a hidden lighthouse and Peter Pan – I was hooked before I started reading.
This is also a story of mental illness, an otherworldly encounter, loss and grief. Holly Ducarte handles these difficult themes with great sensitivity.
‘We’re all like paper dolls. Happiest when linked to another, often unaware of our flimsiness. So easily torn. What happens when we reach out to find there’s no one there to hold our hand?’
These are the opening lines of the story.
Becky is torn and is reaching out for a hand to hold. She finds it in Shawn, the boy-next-door, who believes magic does exist.
In the beginning, I had mixed feelings about Rebecca because she is rebellious and so difficult to get along with, but I sensed her vulnerability. She is a teenager, she’s lost her mother, doesn’t know her father well, and is then whisked away to a new house in a new coastal town in Nova Scotia. I soon felt empathy for her. This is really a testament to Ducarte’s writing that she portrayed Becky so well.
Becky’s relationship with her father, Andy, is an important thread in the story and I was pleased with how it developed. In the beginning, I wasn’t certain if I’d like Andy but my respect and liking for him grew.
I loved the references to Peter Pan and, in the magical dreamlike scenes, I felt myself fly away with them on their adventure. Shawn becomes Becky’s Peter Pan. This gives her a lifeline but forces beyond her control send Rebecca spiralling into dark places. When she emerges, she wonders what was real.
This book moved me so deeply.
I highly recommended this YA read. It’s excellent, something very different.
Well done, Holly Ducarte, on your debut novel.
I usually give new authors at least two books before deciding whether they’re worthy of my insta-buy list or not, but Ducarte did it in one. If you’re thinking about self-publishing your debut novel this year, read this novel because this girl rocked it!
I love a main character I can connect with on a deep personal level, and Becky was that. I saw myself in her so much in so many ways (just, she’s a great swimmer whereas I sink), which made this book quite personal for me and made it even easier to enjoy.
Speaking of Ducarte getting personal–depression and schizophrenia are not easy subjects to tackle, and harder to do well. Ducarte smashed it. She did it so beautifully I was worried Shawn wasn’t real (not saying he’s not, either–no spoilers here!). The issues in this book–psychological and otherwise– were so real it hit home big time.
This was really hard to put down for me. I always looked forward to coming back to it, and Ducarte’s voice is a big part of that. It’s melodic and lovely, and even poetic in places.
The banter was another strong point. I loved listening to the characters talk and argue, especially between Becky and Shawn & Becky and her father. Some of those conversations were the most realistic ones I’ve ever read. Ducarte dug deep into the human mind and why we do what we do, even when we know it’s wrong and when we really want to but are too scared to move forward.
“We’re all like paper dolls. Happiest when linked to another, often unaware of our flimsiness. So easily torn. What happens when we reach out to find there’s no one there to hold our hand?”
How is that for an opening? #dies
I loved Becky and Shawn so much, and I’m heartbroken with how it ended. HEARTBROKEN
So, yes, this was excellent and YES, I recommend it.