What it’s about
Carly: She was sweet. Smart. Self-destructive. She knew the secrets of Brighton Day School’s most privileged students. Secrets that got her killed.
Neily: Dumped by Carly for a notorious bad boy, Neily didn’t answer the phone call she made before she died. If he had, maybe he could have helped her. Now he can’t get the image of her lifeless body out of his mind.
Audrey: She’s the reason Carly got tangled up with Brighton’s fast crowd in the first place, and now she regrets it—especially since she’s convinced the police have put the wrong person in jail. Audrey thinks the murderer is someone at Brighton, and she wants Neily to help her find out who it is.
As reluctant allies Neily and Audrey dig into their shared past with Carly, her involvement with Brighton’s dark goings-on comes to light. But figuring out how Carly and her killer fit into the twisted drama will force Audrey and Neily to face hard truths about themselves and the girl they couldn’t save.(from Goodreads)
For those in a rush
A gripping mystery dealing with love, loss and healing, these characters will stay with you for a long time. Read it!
For those with some time
All Unquiet Things is a complex book; a murder mystery with two narrators and multiple flashbacks. It would be easy to get lost or thrown out of the story. I never was though because past and present and Neily and Audrey’s distinct voices are so skillfully weaved together.
Although this is a mystery the real heart of the story is in the relationships. My favourite being Neily and Carly’s. I loved the flashbacks where we got to see their relationship develop. You could really feel why they were attracted to each other and how much they connected and how their ideas about loving someone changed. Which made later events all the more heartbreaking. I also enjoyed Neily and Audrey’s relationship. Their disagreements and sniping lightened the tone of a heavily charged, emotional story.
The big revelation, of who the murderer is, is fantastically well done. I was trying to work it out all the way through and I got on completely the wrong track. But the who dun it aspect wasn’t really the main pull of the story for me. It was the exploration of growing up, of what it means to love someone, how you deal with and recover from loss and how you start living again.
I really recommend this book. The writing is beautiful and the characters unforgettable. I’ll definitely be reading it again.