4.5 stars.All That's Bright and Gone by Eliza Nellums is a poignant mystery written from the perspective of six year old Aoife Scott.

When her mom, Siobhan, goes into a hospital mental ward, Aoife's Uncle Donny comes to stay with her. Although she adores him, Aoife is desperate for her beloved mother to come home. She is an imaginative, smart little girl who clings tightly to the family's faith and her imaginary friend Teddy. Aoife is also friends with next door neighbor, Hannah, who convinces her they need to investigate Aoife's brother Theo's murder. Aoife's struggles to understand her mother's mental illness and the loss of her brother lead her on a risky journey to uncover the truth about what happened to Theo.

Aoife is precocious and mature for age but she is still only six years old. Her understanding of the events is filtered through living with a mentally ill mom and their strong Catholic faith. Her interpretations and understanding of snippets of conversations is achingly poignant and occasionally humorous. Aoife's conviction that learning the circumstances of Theo's death will bring her mother home drives her to make dangerous choices during her quest.

Donny Scott's life is the complete opposite of his troubled sister. A bachelor with no children of his own, he does not hesitate to drop everything to care for his niece. Donny is a bit distracted and his inexperience with caring for children sometimes leads to inattention about what Aoife and Hannah are up to. Donny tries to be honest with Aoife but he sometimes struggles when faced with his niece's simple questions that have very complex answers.

Occasional letters from Siobhan offer a somewhat heartrending glimpse of her battle with mental illness. She is very troubled as the doctors try to find the right mix of drugs to stabilize her so she can return home. The Scott family has a history of mental illness and it is obvious Siobhan has been dealing with her illness for several years.

All That's Bright and Gone is an extremely well-written and captivating debut. The characters are beautifully developed and quite likeable. The storyline is clever and well-executed. With a few stunning twists and unanticipated turns, Eliza Nellums brings this inventive mystery to a surprising conclusion. I absolutely loved and highly recommend this unique, delightful novel. ( )

Excellent book. The book was narrated by the child. Sometimes she seems just too adult. Some inconsistencies ( )

This novel follows a dysfunctional family through the eyes of a six-year-old who wants nothing more than to solve her family's mystery and bring her mama home. I absolutely adored Aiofa and her uncle Donny! This book has me smiling and crying from beginning to end. Don't let the child narrator scare you off - Eliza Nellums did a wonderful job writing from a child's point of view. Such a good read!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review! ( )

Imagine that your mother has had an episode of the psychiatric variety. Also imagine that you are left in the middle of the road when this episode is transpiring. And you might want to add that you think your Mother is the best, most fun mother in the universe, except when she is having one of her episodes and this latest one has landed her in a hospital. Oh, and you have a best friend who is invisible, a dead brother, no father and no one can pronounce your name correctly. This is an obstacle course no child should have to traverse.

Eliza Nellums has taken on a huge undertaking by using the voice of a six year old and for the most part it works. Her protagonist, Aoife Scott, tells this story with wit, humor, and a whole lot of references to the church and saints, especially her personal Saint Joan, but that might be better left for the reader to ponder. There are many take-aways which made this adult fear for all those children who are left to navigate troubled home waters trying to make sense of the craziness that surrounds them. We are constantly reminded that it is impossible to put a puzzle together when someone hides a bunch of the pieces. Aoife is convinced that unless she is able to unravel the mystery concerning her brother her Mama’s never coming home. She really needs all those missing pieces.

Much of the forward motion of the story was positive. Aoife doesn’t brood, she doesn’t throw tantrums, she doesn’t give in to hysterics. She considers and her thoughts and behavior adhere to a fairly strict moral compass. Her maturity is apparent in many of her inner thoughts: “Sometimes when grown-ups ask if you can do something, they are really just telling you to do it.” Huh, pretty slick thinking. This is one mature and precocious six year old. Another story where child is father to the man or mother to the woman.

A solid 3-1/2 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy. ( )

It is a good thing I've met both a Siobhan and an Aoife in the last few years or I don't think I'd've gotten far with this one. ;)

Summary: six-year-old Aoife's mother is hospitalized after a bit of a breakdown and in the days that follow Aoife tasks herself with uncovering her family's tragic secrets.

Aoife is a charming narrator, and I think I mostly found her believable as six. Though there are absolutely a few times that that narrative voice slips older... which takes you out a bit.

Here's the thing though, and maybe this is just me... But, much of the drama and trauma of this book is the result of people keeping secrets from each other and just, not saying things. And, maybe this would be more believable to parents, but for this reader, I just kept thinking, 'maybe just find a gentle way to talk about this... Oh, no? We're just gonna shoot it down again? Coolcoolcool. gee, what a wonderful way to traumatize your child.' No, no one enjoys confronting ugly truths, but still if anyone in this family ever just talked to eachother about their mental health much of the bad stuff in the book wouldn't have had to happen.

Bonus points for the beautiful use of the imaginary friend, also for the use of religion from the perspective of a kid. Maybe less points for never answering many of the questions about what the mental health issues are in this family. Also for the glowing hallway... that was just weird.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the arc to review. ( )