56 Days

56 Days Ago

Ciara and Oliver met in a supermarket line in Dublin. She was always there when he was there – no matter what time of day. She had this bag which caught his attention. They make plans to see each other again. This is before the Covid-19 lockdown.

35 Days Ago

Oliver suggests that Ciara move in with him during the initial days of COVID -19 lockdown. He has the bigger apartment: an extra bedroom and it will give them both time to determine if this relationship is going somewhere.

Today

Detectives are at Oliver’s apartment. A body has been found inside.

Readers will be able to relate to the character’s reaction to Covid-19, lockdown, trying to make sense of everything, social distancing, wearing masks, sanitizing, etc.

Both characters are new to Dublin. Both decide to be together during lockdown. Neither really knows the other. This is a get-to-know-you time without the knowledge of others. But how do you get to know someone when both of you have secrets?

This is a clever book that takes readers through various times – present, past, not so distant past, while it examines how these two people came to the decision to move in together, what that experience was like and both of their thoughts during that time.

I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. I love trying to figure a book and its characters out. Catherine Ryan Howard not only tackled the early days of Covid-19, but she created a story with deep layers. Having both of their perspectives moves the story forward and gives insight into their motivation(s). The story jumping around really worked for me as well. I loved the how-did-we-get-here vibe to it. The book just kept getting as tiny snippets were revealed.

Cleverly plotted, well thought out, and shocking!

Thank you to Corvus Books and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.