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Sunday, December 20, 2020

#ATBR2020 Review: Long Bright River by Liz Moore

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Long Bright River 
by Liz Moore

Publisher: Riverhead Books
Publish Date: January 7, 2020
Hardcover
482 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Contemporary, Thriller

Two sisters travel the same streets, though their lives couldn't be more different. Then, one of them goes missing.

In a Philadelphia neighborhood rocked by the opioid crisis, two once-inseparable sisters find themselves at odds. One, Kacey, lives on the streets in the vise of addiction. The other, Mickey, walks those same blocks on her police beat. They don't speak anymore, but Mickey never stops worrying about her sibling.

Then Kacey disappears, suddenly, at the same time that a mysterious string of murders begins in Mickey's district, and Mickey becomes dangerously obsessed with finding the culprit--and her sister--before it's too late.

Alternating its present-day mystery with the story of the sisters' childhood and adolescence, Long Bright River is at once heart-pounding and heart-wrenching: a gripping suspense novel that is also a moving story of sisters, addiction, and the formidable ties that persist between place, family, and fate. 

My Review:


Well, this is quite the hefty read! If you're looking for levity and a fun time, this is not the way to go.  But if you're looking for something that will encapsulate your heart and hook into your emotional feels bank, then you absolutely should pick this one up. While I would put this more into a contemporary over a thriller category, it doesn't really matter at the end of the day because however you categorize it, it's BRILLIANT.

Two sisters leading vastly different lives.  Mickey, the police officer, is looking for her addict sister, Kacey. Not an unusual story line .. but what we get from this read is beyond this. With that, Moore weaves in addiction and the effects it has across the person itself, their family and friends and the law. It's a harrowing inside look on a very sensitive subject.

While some people might think this could get long winded at just under 500 pages, I think each page was necessary.  It gives us an all too real feeling of the opiod crisis and how it manifests across the board.  I didn't even mind that there were no quotations for the dialogue (which usually is a big no from me).  The atmosphere Moore presents us is very sobering. 

Those last 5 lines gave me the chills.Uffff my hearttttt.

If you like character study books, definitely pick this one up.

"People with promise, people dependent and depended upon, people loving and belowed, one after another, in a line, in a river, no fount and no outlet, a long bright river of departed souls."

★★★★★

Jessica's Review:


I had been seeing a lot of great things about LONG BRIGHT RIVER all year, and after I knew one of my amazing co-hosts of #BuddyReadsToDieFor was going to do an Instagram Live with the author, I knew it was time to finally pick it up. I completely understand the hype behind this book. The writing, the story, the characters - all of this made for a really engrossing read.

If you're looking for a lighter type mystery/thriller then this won't be it. This is definitely on the heavier side and I wouldn't necessarily categorize it as a thriller. Dealing in addiction, and after hearing the author talk about her research that went into writing this book, made me appreciate it even more.

Despite the big page count there never seemed to be a lull. You'll get more of a detailed character study here and I loved getting into Mickey's mind as she tries to find her sister. This is intense and one that you won't soon forget.

5 stars
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