Brendan Flaherty

The Dredge by Brendan Flaherty

An author with a future ~ Great debut novel!

What I liked:
* The dark theme of the story
* That I was drawn into the story quickly and felt a part of the story
* The psychological aspect of childhood trauma and its impact so many years later
* The small-town vibe and how the various characters interacted
* That though dark, there seemed to be hope at the end of the book, at least for some of the characters
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* The thread of family – good and bad
* That this is a book that will stay with me awhile
* Reading a new to me author that I would gladly read again
* All of it except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about abuse and how it damages and how that damage is sometimes carried into future generations

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Monthly Press for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars… (más)

The Dredge by Brendan Flaherty is a recommended debut character-driven mystery featuring secrets from the past that may emerge.

Cale and Ambrose Casey are estranged brothers who grew up in rural Connecticut. Ambrose still lives in the area and has a construction company while Cale moved to Hawaii and sells high-end real estate. The two brothers are forced to talk to each other when they learned of a real estate developer’s plan for Gibbs Pond and the land it is on. Lily Rowe ended up living near Gibbs pond when that was the last place her abusive father moved her and her brother Roy too. Now Lily is the only one left and she is working for the development company that plans to dredge the pond. Lily also has secrets to protect.

The narrative is mainly told through flashbacks and through multiple points-of-view and differing timelines with abrupt shifts between them. It all leads up to the secrets both families have that are tied to Gibbs Pond. The tone is somber and depressing throughout. While the secrets are revealed later in the novel, the title sort of gives away the direction the plot will take. It really is a bit too predictable and my attention flagged early on while reading.

The family secrets plot is a well-tread avenue so any venture down this road needs to be especially outstanding. Although The Dredge didn't meet my high expectations for the plot, there is a lot of promise in the portrayal of the characters. They were all complicated, troubled, realistic individuals although, as a reader who appreciates character-driven novels, I would have liked to see a bit more in-depth character development of these three. Thanks to Grove/Atlantic for providing me with an advance reader's copy via Edelweiss. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2024/02/the-dredge.html… (más)