Sacha T. Y. Fortuné

The author invited me to review this book, as I had previously reviewed another one of her books “The Perfect Face“, and I grabbed it off an ARC program.

The Premise

After witnessing a murder, Neely and her 10-year-old daughter Arial move to Neely’s childhood home in the countryside. Neely envisions this change as starting over a new leaf in a place she feels safe. Sadly, it’s just not to be — this poor single mom can’t catch a break. On top of money worries, co-parenting issues, job insecurity and a myriad of other things, her daughter also seems to be possessed. Arial begins spouting crude things beyond her years, shocking Neely and everyone around them, and commits violent acts that she has no recollection of afterwards. Is she just traumatised from what she witnessed (as doctors believe), or is there something far deeper and darker at work here?

The Pros & Cons

This was a gripping thriller that grabs you from the start. With a sweet moment fatally ripped to shreds by a violent stranger, your heart immediately goes out to the protagonists Neely and her daughter Arial.

The writer’s style draws you in and engages you from beginning to end as the tale unfolds. I like the way she developed the characters so that we get a real sense of who we’re rooting for. I also appreciated that Neely embraced ALL potential causes of her daughter’s behaviour fairly quickly. She dove in head-first as a mama; she was pragmatic and hitting it all from all angles: paediatrician, psychologist, and exorcist! I also absolutely loved Salem, who was just perfectly portrayed and (though there was zero need for romance in this thriller!) I entirely forgave that because he was so awesome.

I also loved Neely’s back story, but my main disappointment is also linked to this — the author writes it all so beautifully, giving us a full picture of the journey from being groomed as a child, and then… well, though I loved the twist with female empowerment, it felt contradictory that the douche daddy got so much real estate throughout the novel only for it to fizzle out towards the end. The big horror-thrill climax was good, and as things wrapped up I was glad Neely finally caught a break, but I must admit that it became maybe a bit *too* saccharine-sweet for the genre expectations!

Conclusion

Despite those wee niggles which most likely won’t bug most readers, overall this was a solid, fast-paced read that hits all the right notes of creepy, angsty, and sweet all in one. From motherhood to romance to friendship to thriller, it touches on a lot of themes to pull it all together into a cohesive story that is easy to connect to and love. As my second novel by this author, I noted some similarities in my feelings between my last book and this one. Though this one didn’t quite “drop me off a cliff” like the last one (I kept expecting a twistier twist here, but that’s just me!), I am thrilled that “The Trauma Child” didn’t disappoint, and I look forward to more of her work.

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Another amusing yet insightful foray into the role of “dadding”

This was my fifty-sixth book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. I loved the first three in the series, Dear Dory, Dear Arlo, and Toddler Inc., and was contacted by the author to also review this one. This review also appears on Reedsy.

If you’re interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid “tips” to review books!) check it out here.

The Premise

Following on from the pre-birth debut “Dear Dory“, the newborn “Dear Arlo“, and the one-year-old in “Toddler Inc.“, the author continues writing a journal to his son, chronicling daily moments in his toddler’s development as well as his own maturity (or immaturity) as a parent.

The Pros & Cons

If you’ve enjoyed any (or all) of the “Adventures in Dadding” series, then this fourth instalment will hit the spot yet again.

As we follow another year of parenting ups and downs, there are moments that breathe life into the story of an ordinary family doing ordinary things — and finding the extraordinary value in the simplicity of just that.

From the horror-filled whisper — Mummy’s over-loud musing: “What if we die?” as both parents board a plane without Arlo for the first time together; to the double-edged sword of having a family network to rely on (so much so, that Arlo barely cares they’re gone), we see the family going through their growing pains and emerging all the better for it on the other side.

Now a headstrong toddler with a swiftly-accelerating vocabulary and typical terrible-twos antics, Arlo’s personality dominates every little vignette, bringing a smile to your face. There’s the sorrowful and dreaded death of the daily nap, a smorgasbord of gleeful moments of imaginative play (RIP, Cyril), and of course: the exuberance of the Hoover-palooza extravaganza!

Through the daily journalling, the messages resonate: treasure the small stuff; be present in the moment. Don’t lose yourself; prioritize your own needs and your own identity (guilt-free!) from time to time. Stay curious; keep learning. And above all: PLAY.

One beautiful undercurrent along the author’s parenting journey is his ever-increasing appreciation of his own mother; while raising him, and now in her role with Arlo, “Nana never hurries.” Always patient, creative, and energetic, she is present both literally, as part of their extended family, and also in some of the ways he chooses to be a parent himself — which is particularly meaningful, as she had to do it on her own as he grew up without his father.

As with all the other books in the series, the concept of manhood is at the heart of it all. At times, it’s a lighthearted or eye-rolling moment — Daddy’s eager deference to Mummy’s “maternal impulses” when Arlo is sick as he’d rather not “parent under unfavourable conditions”; or a friend’s gathering when yet another mate becomes a “fallen man… restrained, rationed and all but withdrawn” since becoming a father.

At other times, it’s a much deeper reflection on society’s expectation of men to stay silent and stoic, burying their emotions and pain — “suck it up and be a man.” While there’s nothing earth-shattering here, this memoir highlights the critical importance of consistently showing up for your family every day, in ways men often don’t because they simply haven’t got the tools — no one taught them.

There were also many noteworthy musings on what it means to be a parent, reminding us to go easy on ourselves:

[…] Parenthood is not one-way traffic: parent and child are both students, one learning what is, while the other learns what was.

What I am is an average guy doing an average job of something that arrived with no preparation or training, and there’s no continued supervision or appraisals. I do my best with what I’ve got, accepting that limitations and failures are two immutable clauses in my parenthood contract.

Conclusion

Overall, “The Search For Sanity” packs a significant punch: a hefty dollop of cuteness, a hearty dose of humour, and a heavy-handed reminder that there’s beauty hidden even in the ugly trenches of parenting. All of this makes the “Dadding” series enjoyable and, I think, incredibly useful for other parents or parents-to-be (especially fathers). While parenthood is surely a swift gut-smack of a reality check, on our darker days, these books remind us that there’s significant shiny stuff beyond the sacrifice:

That’s what parenthood is to me: humanity stripped down to its core. And what a bright and beautiful core it is.

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