Two families, forever linked by tragedy.Ruby Dunkin is in an abusive marriage. Her best efforts aren’t enough to shield her two children from an abusive father whose cruelty knows no bounds. Their volatile situation ends in tragedy when Ruby’s eldest son, Billy is torn away from everything he loves. Consumed by hatred and self-loathing Billy becomes the thing he hates the most—his father.Chelsea … father.Chelsea Wyatt, a senior in high school, goes missing after work one night, never to return. Her parents are devastated, only knowing this kind of tragedy from the news. Crimes like this are unheard of in their quiet, midwestern town. Consumed by the tragic fate of their friend, family member and neighbor, their lives and futures are forever altered.For over eighteen years, no one knows the connection between Ruby Dunkin and Chelsea Wyatt. A journey through time reveals the common thread stitching their heartbreak together. Yesterday echoes throughout each character’s life as they decide how, and if, they will break the chains of the past.
Will they continue to leave a legacy of pain and loss for future generations? Will they break the cycles of abuse that have destroyed so many lives?
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I’m not sure how to start this review! The End of Echoes took me on an emotional journey I wasn’t prepared for.
Let’s start with mechanics. Dawn Hosmer is a flat-out talented author. I knew that from reading Bits and Pieces. In The End of Echoes, she used multiple, first-person narrators and a non-linear timeline. And, impressively, she did it well. The story progressed smoothly, even as it jumped forward and backward in time, and I connected with nearly all of the main characters.
I struggled through the first half of the book because it was so deeply devastating. This story has so much tragedy in it. I wanted to keep turning the pages, but I also wasn’t sure if I could continue to suffer through the characters’ heart-wrenching difficulties. However, soon after the middle of the book, bits of hope started to creep in. I devoured the last 45% or so in one day. The tragic parts had connected me to the characters, and I wanted so badly for each of them to find some sort of redemption and/or hope. They mattered to me. I love when an author makes me truly care about the characters. This isn’t always an easy book to read, but it’s worth the heartbreak.
There are important messages in this book too, about forgiveness, personal responsibility, and more. The End of Echoes is a story with depth.
Dawn Hosmer continues to be a new author to watch. I look forward to seeing how she surprises me next.
I highly recommend this book for those who love suspense, drama, and emotionally heavy reads. It’s a very well thought out and dramatic story. Dawn’s writing captures you right away and demands you to be a part of this story. Each characters life is laid out and intertwined with the other characters lives in a flawless manner that pulls at your heartstrings, but also leaves you with the burning desire to know more.
Rarely does a story produce so much suspense while simultaneously evoking so much emotion. The added element of weaving together multiple points of view into a seamless storyline makes this novel an unforgettable masterpiece. I am in awe of the author’s unique writing style in creating such a powerful work of brilliance. The brilliance being magnified by the outstanding narration on Audible by Maryne Young aka Audio Sorceress.
There are triggers in this story for anyone with a history of domestic violence and substance abuse. But the author presents these issues in a straightforward manner of understanding and consequence. In the end, we see the families come to terms with “ending the echoes” of a repeat legacy.
For authors who are hesitant to produce an audio book with an “outside” narrator, this novel is a great example of how the power of the written and spoken word can ignite into a magnificent experience for the reader. I cannot recommend this audio version enough for a heightened experience of what this story has to offer.
Dawn Hosmer has done it again! After reading her debut novel, Bits & Pieces, I was eager to get my hands on Echoes. I wasn’t at all surprised to find myself attached to each of the characters and finding myself completely immersed in the story.
Through multiple points-of-view, Hosmer introduces us to two separate families as they make their way through personal tragedies. A common event ties them together in a way that changes each of them forever. We see each character struggle to find their way through the pain and back to some semblance of normalcy. It’s a beautifully woven story that will pull on your heartstrings and let you see how differently people handle grief.
Thank you, Dawn for sharing this amazing story with all of us!
Dawn Hosmer’s sophomore novel, The End of Echoes, is a hard-hitting, 365 degree view of the impact of a terrible rape and murder, and how that pivotal event profoundly shapes the lives of those effected in different ways. And though this novel deeply stirs emotion as we grieve for characters, whose lives begin to self-destruct in the wake of the horrific murder, the novel is about hope. About crawling out from the wreckage and rubble of one’s life to reclaim some semblance of who they might’ve otherwise became. It’s about losing one’s self and finding one’s self again. About breaking cycles of abuse and violence that perpetuate in our society with tragic predictability. And it’s about a System that forces its champions to follow the letter of the law, even when they know the heart’s path is clearly the correct one. It’s about how tragedy can tear the fabric of a family apart at the seams, but how only time can mend it. This is real life that the author is painting in a fictional backdrop.
The novel is told from many first-person perspectives, including the killer’s. This style is a perfect selection to tell this unique story. I felt empathy for each of the characters as they went along on their painful journey. Being a father myself, it’s frightening, and almost incomprehensible, to imagine something like this happening to one of my own children. I think you can’t help but make those comparisons while reading this book, and that lends it some of its power.
I felt so much emotion while reading this story. I loved the cast of characters, and would highly recommend this book. It’s the kind of book that has me reflecting on it after reading, and drawing corollaries to tragic events I’ve experienced in my own life. And despite the book’s title, I suspect it will continue to echo in the recesses of my mind as I continue to discover and reflect on its latent personal meaning.
I don’t even know what to say. This the second book of Dawn Hosmer’s I’ve read, and once again I’m blown away. There’s something about her books that are eminently readable – completely unputdownable. If the mark of a great writer is making you feel their characters’ joy and pain in equal measure, then Dawn Hosmer is an unbelievable writer.
That’s not to say that The End of Echoes is an easy read. Each page is it’s own dull-bladed stab to the chest. There are no clean cuts to be had here, just the slow ripping and tearing of your heart. That’s because the characters in this book could be you. Their families could be your families, and the tragedies that befall the characters feel just a little too real.
Dawn Hosmer is the master of the visceral. As an author, I loved so many things about this book: The well crafted plot, the deeply flawed characters and the way Dawn crafts tragic irony into a story that keeps you hooked, even as you cringe.
That last part was solid proof of what a terrific storyteller Dawn is. I felt my chest tightening and found myself avoiding reading this one too late into the evening. Like the most gripping stories of Stephen King it can send you to bed with nightmares.
But it’s an important work because it rips the cover off of the cycle of abuse that is an all too true reality in our society.
I keep coming back to Dawn Hosmer again and again, because she doesn’t just tell good stories. She makes us think about the things we too often would prefer to ignore.
A powerful story of love, hate, and tragedy.
In a quiet Midwestern town, two families are connected forever. One in an abusive household, the father an alcoholic who takes his anger out on Ruby and her two children. The other, a loving family, until their daughter goes missing.
Imagine two families, their lives like invasive roots jetting off in all directions, are consumed by hate and pain when they’re ripped apart by events beyond their control. The End of Echoes will tap into your emotions and leave you wanting more.
A riveting, tragic, and compelling story that I’d pit against some of the industry’s best authors.
Most of us in our lives have been struck by sadness or tragedy, and some of us, more so than others. This book tells that story. And as much as I wanted to sit and read this page-turner in one go, I couldn’t because the writing is so powerful and unrelenting that I was planted right there with all the characters (even the minor ones), living their tragedies through their eyes, wishing with all my heart for someone, anyone to stop the domino effect of destruction.
This is not a story about redemption, but the reader is drawn right into the lives of tragic circumstance upon tragic circumstance, and the author does such a magnificent job of showing us the consequences of these realities that you can’t help but feel for every single person involved.
I just happened to see another person’s review, and while I understand not every book is for every person, I have to say I strongly disagree that this author failed to grip me emotionally. In fact, I can’t STOP thinking about this book, the way the author weaved together the threads of such a magnetic story, leaving my heart and mind whirling.
If you are a fan of Jodi Piccoult, if you’re the type of reader who wants to see the whole story and not just one side of it, then this is the book for you.
The End of Echoes sucked me in and kept me glued to the page until the end. Dawn Hosmer’s portrayal of how a violent, senseless act affects not only the victim but the lives of everyone that person knows is both gut-wrenching and inspiring. Does evil always beget evil? Can a path filled with wrong choices lead to one filled with hope and redemption?
Told from the points of view of every character, The End of Echoes will stay with you long after the final word is read.
I did not expect to become so emotionally involved with the characters in this book! Author Dawn Hosmer brings life to the many people involved in this tragic story, artfully revealing the journey of each, through point of view storytelling. Hosmer has a true talent for weaving a realistic tale, with knowledge of human behavior and an empathetic, sympathetic heart.
I almost feel that I need to read it again, to catch anything I may have missed, because of the beautifully subtle way that this story unfolded. It was good to the very last drop!
This is a gripping story of two families whose lives were destroyed by the choices one makes. Hosmer has the characters all going in different directions with grief, anger and rage. The author also shows how each character dealt with their emotions differently.
It has many triggers, and I found myself having to walk away from some of the scenes and coming back later to read. A romance book was also being read at the same time because after reading this, I needed to read something happy, something heartwarming. I don’t usually read romance.
It has a bittersweet ending, and the reality that comes with making choices. How one wrong choice changes the lives of many.
I’m looking forward to reading more books from this author.