Book: Heaven Should Fall by Rebecca Coleman
MIRA Books; October 2012; 368 pages
$15.95 U.S./$18.95 CAN.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7783-1389-2
Summary: Alone since her mother's death, Jill Wagner wants to eat, sleep and breathe Cade Olmstead when he bursts upon her life—golden, handsome and ambitious. Even putting college on hold feels like a minor sacrifice when she discovers she's pregnant with Cade's baby. But it won't be the last sacrifice she'll have to make.Retreating to the Olmsteads' New England farm seems sensible, if not ideal—they'll regroup and welcome the baby, surrounded by Cade's family. But the remote, ramshackle place already feels crowded. Cade's mother tends to his ailing father, while Cade's pious sister, her bigoted husband and their rowdy sons overrun the house. Only Cade's brother, Elias, a combat veteran with a damaged spirit, gives Jill an ally amidst the chaos, along with a glimpse into his disturbing childhood. But his burden is heavy, and she alone cannot kindle his will to live.
The tragedy of Elias is like a killing frost, withering Cade in particular, transforming his idealism into bitterness and paranoia. Taking solace in caring for her newborn son, Jill looks up to find her golden boy is gone. In Cade's place is a desperate man willing to endanger them all in the name of vengeance…unless Jill can find a way out.
The tragedy of Elias is like a killing frost, withering Cade in particular, transforming his idealism into bitterness and paranoia. Taking solace in caring for her newborn son, Jill looks up to find her golden boy is gone. In Cade's place is a desperate man willing to endanger them all in the name of vengeance…unless Jill can find a way out.
Characters: The characters in Heaven Should Fall are layered and rich. Each is flawed, adding to the dysfunction that defines Cade's family. The main character, Jill, is easy to like. She is strong and struggling with her mother's death and the idea of becoming a mother herself. My biggest issues with her are that everyone seems to fall in love with her and her decision making at the end of the novel was... less than intelligent. Her husband, Cade, is the perfect guy who is going to make himself into what he wants to be. He's not particularly likeable or unlikeable, just interesting. He's got a lot of admirable qualities and it is fascinating to see what he does with them. He is devastated by the loss of his brother, but even so, his transition to terrorist happens way too quickly for me.
Cade's brother, Elias, is easily my favorite character. I loved him instantly (it's not hard, he's a soldier and quiet when we meet him). I would have liked to know more about him before he went to Afghanistan, but when he commits suicide, I was just as devastated by it as Cade and Jill are. The rest of Cade's family create a horrifyingly realistic portrayal of a rural family who doesn't trust government.
Plot/Pacing: There is a lot going on, which I think many readers will appreciate. I would have preferred less going on (pretty much every storyline that involved Cade's sister, Candy) and a closer look at what really interested me: Cade's transition from golden boy to terrorist and Eli's PTSD. I was expecting the kind of book that would make me question everything I believe, but the story is very straightforward when it comes to right and wrong. The main conflict is between patriotism and the idea of family, but in the end that idea of family is so flawed that it isn't a hard choice.
Moments I Loved: I enjoyed all of the scenes with Cade's rival, Drew Fielder. He's a very minor character and he isn't a nice guy, but he's funny and makes an interesting contrast to Cade.
WTF Moments: At one point Cade blames the baby for all the bad things in his life. Really, dude?
Overall: I expected a different kind of book, but still enjoyed Heave Should Fall. Jill is an easy heroine to root for and those who love family drama will love Heaven Should Fall.
Heaven Should Fall Gets a FakeSteph rating of...
**I
received a copy of Heaven Should Fall (and a cool tour pass) from the publicist for being part of the blog tour. I was in no way compensated for my review or participation in the blog tour and all opinions
expressed here are my own. Feel free to check out my full FTC
Disclaimer on my About This Blog page.**
Posts
I'm glad you ended up liking the book, but there was definitely some messed up things happening in this one! Your outbursts were crazy!
ReplyDeleteSometimes when I'm reading my eyes blur past certain words and I always end up having to go back and reread things all the time, which is why I'm such a slower reader. But when I was reading the WTF moment part, my eyes read it as saying "At one point Cade BECOMES A baby for all the bad things in his life." I was like; "Wait, what? I didn't think this was that kind of book!"
ReplyDeleteAny way it does sound really good!
Definitely seems like worth reading. It looks like the sort of read that will keep the reader hooked but it does seem to have a few twists. I'd like to check the book out.
ReplyDeleteGreat Review!
In a way, I feel I read this book with you during Readathon!
ReplyDelete