By: Tracey Lange
RECOMMEND
TLDR: If you’re into family dramas with lots of secrets and dripping in dry wit then this novel is for you. Tara Connelly is newly released from prison following a drug trafficking incident, and is working on putting her life back together. It’s a fun look at a not-so-stereotypical-dysfunctional family.
The Longer Review: When I originally read the synopsis for this novel I thought for some reason it’d be based in The UK somewhere, so the fact that the main character had been imprisoned for drug trafficking felt like an interesting juxtaposition. This is actually based in the New England area and the “of County Down” relates to fairy tales that the Connelly’s Irish mother told them as children.
Tara Connelly has to put her life back together after being released from prison. That means trying to escape her charges, find work, and regain some normalcy. Her job search is not without challenges, and her past keeps coming back to haunt her, though for much of the time you aren’t quite clear on why. There are some interesting family dynamics among this family for certain. And learning how they each came to be the quirky adults they are was a nice little bow around this story.
