Apex Review Of Beyond Home (Robin Bower)

Aug. 18, 2015 - PRLog -- Beyond Home starts with a mystery that continues throughout the length of the novel. Eve, the main character, is a PhD bound horticulturist turned gardener for the elderly. Her life has taken a few unexpected turns that leave her wondering about her own past and the secret life of her father. Along the way, author Robin Bower includes many other side stories that eventually weave together. From the desert heat of Australia to the jungles of Burma, the reader is transported along with Eve to unfamiliar territory.

While initially it may seem that Eve is looking to solve the mystery of her father, it becomes apparent that the reader will not be receiving any quick answers. Bower’s journalistic style of short, choppy sentences leads the reader slowly towards clarity. While her characters at times seem underdeveloped, the story makes up for this in an abundance of mystery and intrigue. Readers will be constantly guessing as they make their way through the novel, being told what Eve is feeling rather than shown, which leaves them in a position to draw their own conclusions. In addition, Eve’s emotions seem to come out of nowhere, as the reader is left guessing why she’s so often in tears. Rather than coming to understand Eve’s motives, readers are left wondering how she draws the conclusions she comes to from what other characters say; this makes it difficult at times to follow the logic behind most of the dialogue or plot.

Bower seems to have stretched herself thin by incorporating too many characters whose back stories are tied together in a flimsy, thrown together game of connect the dots. It’s implied that Eve is searching for answers and along the way encounters past friends of her father, a revolutionary leader, a young man searching for power, a girl who wants a higher place in her household, farmers who have been relocated, and more. All of these stories eventually weave together, and the reader will be relieved at the end to finally understand Eve’s strange history. The perspective switches constantly, which provides an insight into many layers of the story. While jumping from different characters can get confusing, it would be impossible to understand the motives of every character without their inner dialogue. By the end of the novel, readers can expect surprise, heartbreak, and discovery.

Nikki Toner

Apex Reviews