Happy October everybody! I can’t believe how fast 2018 is flying by! To kick off the new month, I am delighted to be on the blog tour for best selling author, Amanda Prowse. Many thanks to Ed Pr for the blog tour invite and the ARC of the book. Here is my review:
When Rachel Croft wakes up on her family’s boat in Bermuda, it’s to sunshine and yet another perfect day…until she goes to wake her seven-year-old son, Oscar. Because the worst thing imaginable has happened. He isn’t there.
In the dark and desperate days that follow, Rachel struggles to navigate her grief. And while her husband, James, wants them to face the tragedy together, Rachel feels that the life they once shared is over. Convinced that their happy marriage is now a sham, and unable to remain in the place where she lost her son, she goes home to Bristol alone.
Only when she starts receiving letters from Cee-Cee, her housekeeper in Bermuda, does light begin to return to Rachel’s soul. She and James both want to learn to live again—but is it too late for them to find a way through together?
What does TWG think?
Amanda Prowse has been one of my all-time favourite authors for many, many years. I just adore the way in which the author is able to write about such devastating subjects with great poise and sensitivity.
For me personally, reading ‘The Coordinates of Loss’ didn’t feel like I was reading an Amanda Prowse novel as usually I connect to the storylines pretty much straight away, whereas this time I didn’t. I’m not saying that the storyline wasn’t emotive, because it was. Clearly! A child had gone missing, that’s enough to make anyone go stir crazy and want to break down! The thing for me though is that as readers, we didn’t meet Rachel’s little boy, Oscar, so I wasn’t able to connect with Rachel’s loss on the same level as to me, he didn’t enter the storyline to begin with. Does that make sense? I felt empathy towards Rachel and James. Goodness, I would have been ashamed with myself if I didn’t! It was just that all important connection that I found to be missing.
Amanda Prowse’s beautifully descriptive writing is once again on point as she describes the setting where Oscar went missing, enabling her readers to recreated the imagery in their own minds. I love that about this author as she never fails to bring her stories to life, despite just being ‘mere’ words on a page.
I thought that Cee-Cee’s input to the storyline was incredibly touching, highlighting the fact that people feel loss in a multitude of ways, with no way being ‘better’ than the others. The way in which the character reached out to the emotional parents was very heartwarming, and I truly felt that the understated housekeeper kept the storyline above water in a very magical way.
I cannot fault the emotional intent in this book as, even though I couldn’t connect with the meaningful emotion towards the situation itself, I was still able to feel empathy towards the characters, with their sadness and fear moving me time and time again. Personally, ‘The Coordinates of Loss’ wasn’t my favourite book by this author, but if I were to comment on the book as a whole without singling out the connection, I would say that Amanda Prowse has done herself, and the theme, very proud indeed.
A beautifully unique, emotive, and life affirming read which will highlight the importance of dealing with grief, as well as the different stages of loss. A powerful, powerful read.
The Writing Garnet 
Another win for Amanda! Great post x
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Reblogged this on The Biblioanthropologist.
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I’ve just ordered this having seen it reviewed on ALittleBookProblem (and was encouraged there to read your review). I’m very much looking forward to reading it, thank you!
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