“Absolutely captivating….This is a masterpiece of women’s fiction.”–Booklist (starred review) “Absorbing….Fast-moving but emotionally resonant.” –Kirkus reviews In the Blink of an Eye is award-winning author Jesse Blackadder’s deeply emotional drama that explores a family’s path to forgiveness and redemption in the aftermath of a tragedy. The Brennans–parents, Finn and Bridget, and … tragedy.
The Brennans–parents, Finn and Bridget, and their sons, Jarrah and Toby–have made a sea change, from chilly Hobart, Tasmania, to subtropical Murwillumbah, New South Wales. Feeling like foreigners in this land of sun and surf, they’re still adjusting to work, school, and life in a sprawling purple clapboard house, when one morning, tragedy strikes.
In the devastating aftermath, the questions fly. What really happened? And who’s to blame? Determined to protect his family, Finn finds himself under the police and media spotlight. Guilty and enraged, Bridget spends nights hunting answers in the last place imaginable. Jarrah–his innocence lost–faces a sudden and frightening adulthood where nothing is certain.
In the Blink of an Eye is a haunting, redemptive story about forgiveness and hope.
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In the Blink of an Eye was a little outside the norm for me. I usually shy away from such obviously emotional books, but something about this one caught my attention. It is beautifully written but is certainly not an easy read as it explores the different facets of grief and how it can affect a family. Regardless of how each approached their grief – anger, blame, shame, anguish – my heart broke for this family but most especially, it went out to young Jarrah. The author does an excellent job of pulling the reader into the lives of these characters and holding them there. At the end of the day, this is not an easy one to get through by any means, but it is so worth the read.
Quite simply a masterpiece.
4* Tragically Broken Stars
This book was incredibly emotional and heart wrenching. The authors’ writing is so deep and heartfelt that I was overwhelmed with sadness through most of the story.
The story centres on the Brennan family, Dad Finn, Mother Bridget and their 15 year old son Jarrah who are totally broken and the journey they have to take to overcome the tragic accident that they have all experienced with the loss of their beloved Toby who was only 2 years old.
The story is told from the POV’s of Finn, Bridget and Jarrah. It was interesting to see how each member of the family was coping with the tragedy and to what lengths they went to for healing and acceptance. I struggled to like and accept Bridget as I thought she was incredibly selfish and uncaring.
If you are in the mood for a highly emotional story about dealing with grief, forgiveness and family then I highly recommend this powerful read.
Many thanks to St Martins Press and NetGalley for my copy to read and review.
In The Blink Of An Eye, is my first read by author Jesse Blackadder. The story alternates from chapter to chapter with different characters first person points of view. I really enjoyed reading this book. It focuses on family relationships during a very trying and devastating period of time. Without going into great details that would spoil it for others there was an accident within the family. Each characters feelings of guilt and blame are described believably. This is definitely not a pick-me-up book but it tells a story of how families deal with tragedies.
The characters are realistic and believable. I couldn’t wait to see how the book ended so it kept me reading well into the night. The title was fitting as it describes how lives can certainly change in the blink of an eye. The story was well written, descriptive and absorbing, I would recommend to those who enjoy reading about complex family relationships and are ok with depressing subject matters. I give this one 4 stars.
In the Blink of an Eye is at once heartbreaking but heartening, tragic but life affirming, its characters complex but familiar, its ending miraculous but well earned. It is a book of contrasts then, so it’s little wonder that even as you can’t stop rushing through, you feel it will stay with you for a very long time.
The Brennans — Finn and Bridget, and their sons, teenage Jarrah and three-year-old Toby — moved from chilly Hobart, Tasmania, to subtropical Murwillumbah, New South Wales at Bridget’s insistence because they needed a fresh start. They are settling into a routine in their sprawling purple clapboard house, complete with a pool that they are all enjoying on the warm days. Finn, an artist, has devised and installed a special gate through which the pool can be accessed.
And then one morning, tragedy strikes.
In the aftermath, the inevitable questions plague them all, but especially Bridget. What happened during those brief moments? Is someone to blame?
When Finn becomes the target of a criminal investigation and in the ensuring media glare, he is determined to protect his family, first and foremost. But Bridget is wracked with guilty and grief, and enraged — at Finn, at herself, at her inability to rewind the clock and relive those precious minutes.
As Bridget descends further and further into grief, and feels apart from her husband and surviving son, she seeks solace, comfort, and answers in the last place anyone would expect those things could be found.
As his parents are consumed by their own emotions, Jarrah, who is equally devastated, is left on his own to deal with his feelings which include sudden, frightening, and very adulthood realizations he is not equipped to handle.
Author Jesse Blackadder introduces readers to the Brennans, a relatable family. Finn and Bridget’s love to each other is not in question, nor is their devotion to their family, despite Finn’s misstep that served as the catalyst for their move. They truly enjoy their children, and Finn’s commercial prospects for his artistry are looking brighter. But that requires a shift in the family dynamics and morning schedules. Blackadder lays out the backdrop against tragedy can unfold, and then deftly portrays the morning when their world comes crashing down around them in stark, gut-wrenching fashion. It is difficult reading, to be sure.
What is even more painful is what follows. Blackadder charts each characters’ journey realistically and authentically. By that time, of course, she has convinced readers to care deeply about her characters so that their pain compels the action forward. The question is whether the family will survive together or irrevocably split apart. For good measure — and moral ambiguity — Blackadder adds Finn’s legal peril and his reaction to it, inspiring readers to question whether they would make the same choices under the circumstances.
But also at issue is the survival of each individual character. Bridget’s mental and emotional health becomes an issue as she delves further into the stages of grief and becomes increasingly disconnected from the reality of her life after that morning. Jarrah has never been a popular kid, with few friends. He has always felt like an outsider and been subjected to some bullying at school. Suddenly, however, he becomes the object of sympathy, which may be worse. Still, he manages to make a new friend with whom he runs as a means to escape from the pressures of home and what is happening with his parents. That friendship, however, causes him to confront his own truth and future.
In the Blink of an Eye is an empathetic and deeply moving portrayal of a family in crisis following unimaginable tragedy. Because of Blackadder’s restrained writing style, it is ultimately a story about forgiveness, strength and the ability to endure the deepest imaginable emotional pain, and, ultimately, hope.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
A heart-wrenching, beautifully told story about tragedy and the slow journey toward hope. As Finn, Bridget, and Jarrah wade through their grief, readers will find themselves surprised by moments of grace. This story will linger long after the last page is turned.
In the Blink of an Eye is intimate, raw and beautiful. Blackadder takes the reader into the home, into the very minds of the Brennan family, exposing their loss and painting a vivid landscape of hope and healing.
In the Blink of an Eye is devastating, heartbreaking, and gut-wrenching. It is also immeasurably beautiful and by far one of the most powerful and compelling explorations of loss and grief I have ever encountered.
Being a mom, this one ripped out my heart. In the blink of an eye, everything can change. It just takes a back turned for a second, a small distraction, and tragedy can strike. What happens after the tragedy is the heart of the novel. How can the Brennan family survive when the unthinkable happens? The guilt, the blame, and the loss are all jumbled together as each member tries to understand and figure out how it happened, why it happened, and how they will live with the consequences. Told from the points of view of the three Brennan family members, in first, second, and third person, this is a novel that will make you think about how you would react. My heart broke for Jarrah, the teen was already floundering, and his parents were so wrapped up in their own grief, he had no one to talk to, and then there was the confusing teen stuff piled on top of it.
This book will put you through an emotional wringer. It is well-written, and will make you wonder: what would you do if something like this happened? It will also make you want to keep an eagle-eye on young ones, because, a second of distraction and the unthinkable can happen.
#StMartinsPress #IntheBlinkofanEye #JesseBlackladder
In the Blink of an Eye was an emotional novel about what a family went through after they experienced an unimaginable tragedy. Finn Brennan and his wife Bridget are excited about a new job opportunity for Finn. But what is supposed to be the beginning of something exciting for the Brennan family quickly turns into something else. Something happens one morning and in one moment, their world will change. Everyone in the family struggles after this. They struggle with their pain, their loss, and their anger. They all begin to turn away from each other, drawing towards other people. The story is told from each character’s viewpoint, in alternating turns. The story is full of emotions as they struggle with what happened, and their family falls apart during the aftermath of what happened on that one morning.
A poignant triptych of family grief and redemption that sees the author’s prose leap to a new level of magnificence.
The Brennan’s have uprooted and moved to a totally different place. The family, Finn, Bridget, Jarrah and Toby are just working hard to adjust to a whole new environment. New jobs, new friends, new school is tough on everybody. Then the unthinkable happens. It tears the family apart.
Jarrah is a young boy coming to terms with who he is. When the tragedy strikes he has to take on an adult role he is not ready for. Bridget is so wracked with guilt and anger she makes some self-destructive decisions. Then there is Finn. He is so determined to protect and keep his family together, he loses sight of who he is.
This is an emotional story. Each person in this family deals with the heartbreak differently and it takes a huge toll on the family as a unit. This novel takes you in an emotional roller coaster. It is hard to read in places because it rips your heart to pieces.
Don’t miss this tale of love, strength, hope and forgiveness.
I received this novel from St. Martin’s Press for a honest review.
This is the perfect title!
How fast a catastrophe can occur! In a blink of an eye!
Can the fragments of family life be picked up and resemble any type of “normal” following a devastating tragedy?
A novel of grief, hope and blame, following a family aberration that had me turning the pages to also find out “who did it or rather who did not do it”?
It’s heartbreaking, painful and certainly had me questioning each of the characters in this book.
Yet, what was answered is that forgiveness to oneself is key to survival for all.
A descriptive, beautifully written story!
I started this book with no idea what it was about and was totally overwhelmed when tragedy struck this family. This is a heartbreaking novel that asks the question whether you can forgive not only your family members but more importantly yourself after a tragedy. It’s the story of family and love and redemption and heartache. I found it incredibly sad but with a flicker of hope that life would get better for this family.
Finn and Bridget Brennan and their two sons 16 year old Jarrah and three year old Toby move to a part of Australia where they have no friends and have to start their lives over. When their routine changes and childcare switches from one parent to the other, tragedy strikes the family when three year old Toby drowns in the swimming pool. Not only does the family have to go through the tragedy but they are hounded by the press and have to deal with the police. Sixteen year old Jarrah was already being bullied at school and he had no idea how he was going to handle the additional attention. As the days pass, the family splinters into three separate people who are unable to accept and forgive each other. Will they ever find their way back to being a family again?
This is an incredible story told with love and compassion. Thanks to goodreads for a copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.
A family of for has a devastating loss. Fights through cheats spouses. A child who discovers he is gay. It’s probably all quite dramatic, however, this is extremely boring.
This one is NOT for me.