In 1908, Thea arrives to Pleasant Valley, Wisconsin, in hopes of uncovering why her mother left her at an orphanage when she was young. She discovers a secretive asylum tucked into the woods and is able to gain entrance with groundskeeper Simeon and her postmortem photography skills. But as she unearths ghosts and the tale of Misty Wayfair, Thea learns that there may be more than meets the eye. More than a century later, Heidi also travels to Pleasant Valley after she receives a plea from her mother fighting dementia. Heidi also exposes family secrets of ghosts and soon she finds herself on a journey involving Misty Wayfair and events that cause her to fear her own life.
What an exciting book! The opening line, “melancholy was a condition of the spirit and soul, but also of the mind,” draws you in with its eerie mystery immediately and the grip of the words does not let up until the last page. This book has ghost like suspense that left me with heart pounding and eyes scanning to find solutions to the supernatural. I love Jaime Jo Wright’s writing as it is packed with details that allow me to really envision each scene and imagine the thrilling events. She has such a unique gift! The characters are rich in depth with imperfections and struggles that are realistic and relatable. Jaime Jo tackles difficult social topics in this book, including but certainly not limited to, autism and its effects on loved ones, depression and anxiety and its misconceptions, childhood trauma and its psychological aftereffects, and the treatment of the mentally ill in the early 20thcentury. What a phenomenal read! I could hardly put the book down and stayed up much too late on several evenings to finish it (really, my only complaint here is the lack of sleep I had while reading, ha!). The central theme of identity is clearly woven so uniquely throughout and ultimately draws on the Christian principle of identity in Christ. I did not used to like split time novels, but Jaime Jo has a special gift to craft books that weave together a story that comes together into a well-structured and satisfying ending, and has definitely made me a fan of these books. I truly loved this book and cannot wait to see what she pens next! Most highly recommended!
I received a copy of this book from Bethany House Publishers/Jaime Jo Wright in exchange for an honest review. 5/5
Life of Literature 