I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Never Far Away by Michael Koryta Published by Little Brown on February 9, 2021
Genres: Family Life, Fiction, General, Psychological, Suspense, Thrillers
Pages: 384
Format: eBook
Source: the publisher
Goodreads
Nina Morgan "died" a decade ago. Blood stains were found in her car, though her body was never found. Her death was assumed a murder. Leah Trenton was born.
Nina didn't want to fake her death. As a witness to a brutal murder, it was the only way to protect the lives of her husband and young children. She made the decision no mother should have to make. Now, ten years later, tragedy has reunited them once again.
When life has my mind and soul reeling, I revert back to the things that I cherish and bring joy to my life. For me, one of those things is reading.
We lost my mother-in-law to COVID-19 a week ago. It was a month-long battle that has left me emotionally and physically exhausted. Grief had me struggling to reconnect with some semblance of joy. In this case, it just happened to be a night spent on the couch, reconnecting with a long-favorite author of mine. I haven’t been able to read in nearly a month. I found myself just staring at an open book. Yet something about the familiarity of Koryta’s writing pulled me in.
One thing that Koryta excels at is crafting realistic characters. Lena’s love for her children, despite 10 years of separation, exuded from the pages. Her fierce determination to finally right the wrongs that stole her children from her was so powerful. That’s not something you can fake for the sake of crafting a character. That kind of character building comes from the soul.
I think what makes Koryta such a compelling writer is his storytelling. The basic journey this thriller follows wasn’t unique. What makes it stand out is the story Koryta weaves in doing so. For example, I could listen to Morgan Freeman read a cereal box to me and I would be mesmerized. The same goes for Koryta and his thriller writing. I don’t even read the book synopsis anymore; I just dive right in. I know it’s going to be amazing.
If you haven’t had the chance to sample any of Koryta’s writing, I recommend you remedy that immediately. Highly recommended.
