Confluence - Gemma Chilton - ★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Gemma Chilton

GENRE: Literary Mystery

RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: An indie literary mystery from the land Down Under. Began very well for me, but the second half became somewhat hodgepodge. I still liked it, but not as much as I had wanted to.

Story Synopsis:

Almost-thirty year old Liam lives life unsatisfied. His job is boring, he’s having an affair with a married woman, and his past still affects him. When he learns that his mom has breast cancer, he uses it as a golden chance to escape his dreary routine and move back to his hometown of Elanora. But the ghosts of his past are still alive, and Liam’s return leads to some long-kept secrets coming tumbling out.

The story comes to us in the third person perspective of various characters and from various timelines.

Bookish Yays:

😍 Though a long and complicated read courtesy multiple timelines and characters, the plot progression is steady.

😍 I like it when authors make use of their location to provide an authentic feel. This book feels Aussie from start to end, courtesy the excellent descriptions of the places and the lifestyle, and some Aussie slang as well. It makes the experience feel genuine.

😍 The prose is beautiful without going over the top. The author balances conversations and descriptions excellently, while providing us with some delectable lines along the way.

😍 The title is an intelligent one as it fits the book in multifarious ways, from literal to metaphorical. The cover is also perfect for the book.

😍 Most of the characters don’t fit into a predictable mould. They are complicated and realistic, and their secrets only make them more human and relatable.

😍 The writing is neither judgemental nor condescending about the mental health issues faced by some characters. The plot also covers inter-generational trauma, exacerbated due to the number of secrets kept by family members under misguided assumptions of protecting others.

Bookish Nays:

😐 This is a debut work and unfortunately, it succumbs to one common pitfall of debut writers, what I call the ‘kitchen sink syndrome’ because it tried to include everything plus the kitchen sink in its themes. There are too many dark secrets and topics thrown in, and the result feels somewhat chaotic. I would have preferred the plot to pick 3-4 strong themes and focus only on those as being the skeletons in the family’s closet.

😐 I would have liked some indication of the change in timeframes. While I did understand after the first few chapters that the timeline was alternating between Present Liam and Past Liam, it still took a while to adjust to the swaps, especially as both were voiced in third person. This became even more complicated when some more character voices were introduced in the second half and their timelines too were different.

😐 On that note, the introduction of new character perspectives post the 50% mark made my progress awry as I felt like I was being forcibly introduced to strangers I didn’t want to know. (You will empathise with this feeling if you are an introvert.) The book would have worked better for me if the story had given this important character a narrative voice right from the start, and revealed her connection with Liam’s track as the plot moved ahead.

There’s no doubt that the writer is talented. Her writing chops are visible in the way she weaves complicated characters and a tricky plot with lyrical writing. Some finetuning while editing and more writing experience will ensure that this is an author to look forward to in future.

Recommended to those who like literary-styled family dramas with a hint of mystery. There are many triggering topics though, most of which would be spoilers if I reveal them here. Suffice to say that the author handles them with sensitivity, but reader discretion is still advised.

My thanks to author Gemma Chilton for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Confluence”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.