Published by Ecco on January 25, 2011
Genres/Lists: Fiction
Pages: 256
Read synopsis on Goodreads
Buy the book: Amazon/Audible (this post includes affiliate links)
I love when I pick up a book and just fall right into it. I was a little wary when I picked up The Fates Will Find Their Way because the Goodreads rating is only so-so, and I try not to read anything that has less than a 3.5 star rating. But this one, with its little 3.18, was fantastic.
If you’re a fan of The Lovely Bones and The Virgin Suicides, then you will love this book. The basic premise is this:
At 17, a well-like girl named Nora Lindell went missing. Over the next couple of decades, a group of boys in her class concoct various stories about what may have happened to her. In some, she’s married and happy, and in others she’s a long-time dead. But in all of them, the details are vivid and the longing palpable. Even as they grow up, get married, and have kids, the boys from Nora’s childhood can’t seem to let her go.
What I love about this book is that it flows so well. I wouldn’t say that it’s stream-of-conciousness writing but it is definitely less structured. What is so amazing about it is that the imagination and intricate tales that the boys weave for Nora’s life are entirely plausible.
I won’t give away the ending, but I will say that I am still thinking about book. Nothing about it is shocking or loud, but its subtle and intricate details propel the book into the realm of palpability. And that, my friends, makes for a good read.