Title: Arrowood
Author: Laura McHugh
Publication Year: 2016
Pages: 270
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Date Started: Dec. 26, 2016
Date Finished: Jan. 8, 2017
Format: Kindle
Beverage of choice: Coffee. Dark and bitter
I can’t exactly remember
how I stumbled across this book, though if memory serves me well it involved a
late night scavenger hunt on Goodreads where I followed a thread of “If you
liked this…” Regardless of the fact, I found Arrowood.
Arrowood encompasses the realm of gothic mystery. In the novel,
Arden Arrowood inherits the family home, the house where she spent her
childhood. At least it was, until her twin sisters went missing and her world
ripped apart. Now grown, Arden is nearing completion of her master’s degree but
struggles to bring herself to finish it. Her thesis revolves around the feeling
of nostalgia, which echo through the pages. In fact, this entire book encapsulates
the feelings and longing of nostalgia. Once Arden returns to Arrowood, she is
haunted by the mystery surrounding her sisters and what really happened to
them. She teams up with an investigative writer who sheds light on her
memories, casting serious doubt on everything she remembers.
I read the majority of
this book while at a conference in New Orleans, LA. And I’m so glad I did. Arrowood is set in a small town on the
Mississippi River during the winter months. The setting just brings a chill to
your bones! So reading the novel next to the mighty river in the middle of a
cold snap felt far too perfect.
I enjoyed this book far
more than I expected. It had a fairly slow pace, which I felt heightened the
gothic-ness of the novel. This pacing fell apart at the end, however, as many
reveals are made in rapid procession. Though I didn’t actually mind this swift
change in pacing. To me it just seemed to fit the book.
The characters themselves
are okay, not spectacular, but okay. I particularly connected with Arden simply
due to the shared exertions of graduate student life. I felt her anxiety, I know
that struggle. Beyond that, though, I’m not certain I would consider the
characters deep or terribly developed. Arden explores love interests, though I
never really got into any of them and luckily romance does not feature
prominently. It was almost like everyone was emotionally and personally on hold
in the book, like they froze after the disappearance of the twins. Perhaps this
was done intentionally to heighten the nostalgia?
Without spoilers, I was
able to solve much of the mystery myself, though the end still had many
surprises, which I found welcome and refreshing. I felt satisfied with the
ending, which I don’t feel all that often, especially with thriller and mystery
novels.
What I loved most about
this book was the writing. It was refreshing and had a very smooth rhythm to
it, if that makes any sense. This is the second book that McHugh has written,
and so I look forward to reading her original, debut novel.
Overall, 3.5/5 moose
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