Missing Isaac

I enjoyed this novel that spans 1962-68. Themes of loss, friendship, race, poverty and prejudice are all front and centre. . . along with a little romance and some mystery. The main characters are likeable and relatable, the baddies are equally unlikeable and unrelatable. There are some very sad portions but closure and grace and hope are all there too. I wish there was a little more wrap up detail to certain points. . . would love to read a continuing journey!

Missing Isaac is Valerie Fraser Luesse's first novel, and I hope it won't be her last. Her writing style runs counter to some of the modern writing conventions. She uses dialect and non-standard spelling. There are unnecessary adverbs and repetition. The dialgoue tags are often clunky. The point of view is often distant, and slips into omniscient at times. \\r\\n\\r\\nYet it works despite these """"errors"""". Or perhaps because of them. \\r\\n\\r\\nMissing Isaac doesn't fall neatly into any one genre. It's part mystery, as Pete tries to find the truth of what happened to Isaac. It's part family saga, as Pete grows up, and part romance, as he meets Dovey. And it's part historical fiction, in that it's a story set in a time far removed from ours, in terms of culture and attitude, if not years. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe writing is strong, with a unique and lyrical style, and a lot of home truths, like the privileged white boyman who doesn't understand his privilege because it's all he's ever known. It could equally be talking to those in the modern world who don't understand why #MeToo or #BlackLivesMatter are newsworthy. \\r\\n\\r\\nMissing Isaac is a strong debut novel, with a solid story driven by strong characters and set in a time of great social change. Recommended. \\r\\n\\r\\nThanks to Revell and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.