This novel starts with Angela writing her annual Christmas email whose subject matter is always "Hello from the Gillespies". Angela lives in the Australian Outback and her Christmas letter is always a way to let her far flung family and friends know of the happy things that have happened in the past year. This year, her family isn't doing as well and what starts as a stream-of-consciousness rant about her family's situation ends up being accidentally sent out. The novel follows the fallout from her honesty as well as a subsequent accident that befalls her. This is most definitely one of my favourite books of the year. I was really surprised actually, by how easily I fell into the rhythm of this book and how much I liked all of the characters. Generally, I end up liking one or two characters a lot and not feeling much for the rest of the cast, but that was not the case with this book. When you read this novel, you instantly feel like you are part of the family. There is such a special quality to Monica McInerney's writing. If you are a woman with a husband and children, you will no doubt find something in this book to identify with. I think we all have feelings similar to that of the main character, Angela. I was head nodding a lot whilst reading this book. The location descriptions are beautiful and the author clearly knows what she is talking about. As this story unfolded, I began feeling terrified of reaching the end of the book. What would I do after this? I felt such a kinship with the characters that it was hard to imagine leaving them and moving on. Family dynamics take centre stage in this novel, and the author did a beautiful job of showing the difficulties of marriage, growing up and maturing into adulthood. I would happily recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read with a strong family theme. This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Do You like book Hello From The Gillespies (2014)?
Good premise but didn't hold my interest.
—downyap
