I overall really liked this book, it started off slow and then chaos hit and I couldn’t put the book down. A great first book to a series. ( )

I had trouble reading this book, because I disliked the main subject.
And her mother.
The main subjects acts way younger than she is supposed to be (21-23). To me she is an unstable girl, not woman, who clings far too much at her mother.
Yes, she certainly tries to help her mother. But there is a Dutch saying here in the Netherlands: 'van de wal in de sloot helpen'. literally 'helping from the shore into the ditch' or, in English: 'Out of the frying pan and into the fire'.
Her mother lets her cling, which to me is neither a healthy relationship.
I am sorry, I cannot give more than two stars to this book.

But, should the writer be somewhere between 12 and 18, I withdraw I all I have said here before.
In that case, the main subject acts complete right in defending and helping her mother. And then the book gets three stars. ( )

“The City Wife” (Isle of Burtonshire Saga #1) by R.M. Carpus) ⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Family Drama/SciFi. Location: Philadelphia & Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and cross country to the Isle of Burtonshire, Washington, USA. Time: Present.

Narrated by daughter Joanna, 2/3 of the book is a portrait of a dysfunctional family. I was fascinated by author Carpus’ use of geographical metaphors for emotions, such as: “A fissure cracking open inside her…”
***Florence: Mother, dramatic, self-indulgent artist. Uses extreme theatrics to manipulate. I’m no psychiatrist, but even I can tell Florence rapidly cycles between manic and depressed episodes. She’s an artist whose family enables her.
***Joanna(22): Daughter, entitled, dramatic, self-indulgent theater costume designer. Obsessively enmeshed with Florence. Again, I’m no therapist, but I know enmeshment involves a disregard for personal boundaries and loss of autonomy.
I’m unsure whether Carpus romanticizes Florence & Joanna for their bizarre devotion, or if he’s consciously describing a mentally ill relationship. His writing leaves his intentions unclear.
***And then there’s Asher: Husband and father. Self indulgent author who travels constantly. Hides a major life secret from wife and daughter.

The last 1/3 of the book switches to a cross country trek after “The Turn”. It started with earthquakes. Then came the risings from deep beneath the oceans. Florence & Joanna travel 3000 miles west for shelter. Carpus again uses dramatic geographical metaphors to convey emotion, such as: “The station’s subdued, composed energy suddenly grew teeth, gnashing violently, nipping at my ears and ankles.”

Carpus’ writing style is lush and evocative. I reread sentences out loud just to hear the words. The plot is clever, but oh so long on family dysfunction and too short on the trek. The SciFi element is an unknown background presence only. For all those complicated reasons, it’s a solid 3 stars from me. 🌵📚💁🏼‍♀️ Thank you to LibraryThing and RM Carpus for this early copy.
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