Title: Impossible Causes
Author: Julie Mayhew
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: November 19, 2019
Pages: 419
Book Source: NetGalley
“For seven months of the year, the remote island of Lark is fogbound, cut off completely from the mainland.
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Three strangers arrive before the mists fall: Ben Hailey, a charismatic teacher looking to make his mark, teenager Viola Kendrick, and her mother, both seeking a place to hide from unspeakable tragedy.
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As the winter fog sets in, the presence of the newcomers looms large in this tight-knit community. They watch as their women fall under the teacher’s spell. And they watch as their daughters draw the mysterious Viola into their circle. The girls begin to meet furtively at night, dancing further and further away from the religious traditions that have held Lark together for generations.
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But when a body is found one morning at the girls’ meeting place, high up among the sacred stones of Lark, faith turns instantly to suspicion and fear. For the island is weighted with its own dark secrets, and now it is time for them to come into the light.” – Amazon
Kim’s Review
For me, Impossible Causes, had so much potential. It could have went more Wicker Man and in a crazy direction. It showcased Feminism and the #MeToo Movement, but it was so heavy handed and in your face that I could see many people being put off by it. Or Julie Mayhew could have focused on more folklore or more on witchcraft.
It took me until 40% before I even started getting into the book a bit, mainly wondering how it would all play out. And here I got a little excited thinking it would be full on witchcraft or demons. Then Mayhew pulled back again on what could have been.
There was no shock factor when it came to the ending. And actually the ending annoyed me because Mayhew is writing how horrible society is in regards to the way it treats women, and then the ending is tied up in a neat little bow. I feel if you are hitting such heavy topics then you need to be realistic with the outcome.
The reason I gave it a three stars instead of a lower score is Mayhew does bring up topics people need to talk about more and figure out ways to change them for the better. So that is wonderful. And writing a book is hard work, so anyone who not only finishes it, but gets it published has (hopefully) put in the time.
This is not one that I will be recommending that you even add to your TBR to read at a later time. Instead try I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, or Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
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