Idaho: A Novel

I really struggled with how to rate this book. It is absolutely beautiful lyrical book. It felt,at times, like I was reading a poem, rather than a novel. I loved the alternating chapters with the different characters, even if it took me a few beats to try to figure out whose eyes we were looking through now. I loved that the characters were not perfect, that Ann had a previous crush that suggested she had some underlying psychological issues. I loved reading this book. I spent the whole time trying to figure out the mystery, formulating theories, sure there was much more going on that was to be revealed, trusting that if invested in these characters and this story, that there would be a payoff...and yet I was left with nothing. There were no answers at the end. For some people this might be fine, but I felt betrayed. Perhaps if I had read this as part of a book club, it would have been easier because I could have discussed it immediately with others and found some resolution, but I did not, and as a result, I felt adrift and frustrated.

This is one of the most beautiful works of literature I have ever read. The author is incredible with the imagery she can produce with words. It's honestly a work of ART.However, there is no storyline. Some random things happen and they aren't even all related to each other. It's a murder mystery but no one ever does anything to actually SOLVE the mystery. You're waiting the whole time to see how the mysteries get solved and they never do.I give this 3 stars because it deserves 6 stars for its writing and 0 stars for its lack of an actual story. So I split the difference. I was glad I got it free for my kindle of the month book.

This is a murder mystery, but it is so beautifully written by someone who truly understands that there are rarely simple explanations for such events. The book felt more like a psychological drama than a suspenseful murder mystery.

This is one of the most beautifully written books I have read in a long time. It is at the same time one of the most depressing.From the very beginning, the reader is reeled in to a mystery -- the murder of a child by her mother. The mystery is never definitely answered but along the way the characters are so diverse and interesting that you want the best for them in the face of serious doubt that things will turn out well.

Having read the authors explanation of her choices, her thought process and intentions make sense; however, the execution resulted in a book that felt pointless. She didn't succeed in creating the connections that she was trying to convey. Her understanding of her characters and their relationships are interesting and well thought-out but did not make it into the pages of her book. It's too bad really. The concept, coupled with her perceptions of her characters, would have made for a great book.

Ahaunting debut novel about life and death, love and memory, holding on and letting go. While the plot turns on one violent act, the act itself is never described directly. Instead, Emily Ruskovich approaches it from many different angles at many different spots on the timeline, a bit like trying to approach a wild animal without scaring it away. The result is a multifaceted exploration of loss that will stick with me for a very, very long time.Ruskovich manages to write a very literary novel that is also a stay-up-all-night page-turner, which is an extraordinary feat. I will absolutely be buying her next novel, whenever it appears.

The cover of this book is beautiful. I also saw an author interview on CBS Sunday morning after she won the International Dublin Literary Award and she seems like a very nice person and the interview made me want to read the book. Those are the only nice things I can think to say about this book.It was not for me. I did not connect to or like any of the characters. I was confused through out the whole book and the jumping from year to year did not help. We'd be in the 90's, then the 2000's, then further into the 200's, then back in 1995. The change of years and story just kept me confused and I did not follow her train of thought.Congratulations to her for winning the most lucrative of literary awards, but I can't honestly understand why. I just must not be existential enough.

I think this is a book you either love or hate. I felt the author’s writing was exemplary. The symbolism brought every small detail to life, whether it was the description of the dog following the young girl’s scent or the delivery of the pigs; I was drawn in by every word. I would have given the book 5 stars if there had been some resolution at the end. I wanted to understand Jenny’s action that changed the course of everything (will spare details for those who haven’t read the book), but the book ended leaving that burning question (center to the entire novel) unanswered. Nevertheless, I will read more by this writer just to experience the lyricism of her work.

This is a debut novel of astonishing maturity. It’s not a thriller, and if there’s a mystery at the heart of it there is only a tentative stab at resolving it by one of the main characters, and that feels like an attempt to square a circle that resists a neat tying-up.The main protagonists are Wade, his two young children and their mother Jenny, and later his second wife Ann. They live in isolation high on a mountainside in Idaho. We know early on about the act of violence that drives the plot; what we get after that are the life stories of richly rendered characters, a well-delineated supporting cast and a strong sense of place.Some readers may not like the apparent hole at the centre of the story, but for me it only makes the book more interesting and gritty. The choppy timeline, depending on your point of view, is either irritating or an incremental way of telling the story that encourages you to think about what you’ve just read. For my money this is outstanding literary fiction, in which careful prose is harnessed to exploring themes of loss, grief, guilt, forgiveness and love. It’s moving, beautiful and stunning, and I can’t wait to read what Emily Ruskovich writes next.

2.5 stars. I’d like to think I was sophisticated enough to appreciate this book, which I suppose can be seen as ‘true’ in the sense that it is fragmented, arbitrary & without closure; but I’m afraid my reaction was much like that of many other reviewers. I found it unsatisfactory, annoying & frequently opaque, & confess I gave up a third of the way through.It’s not that I’m afraid of experimental narratives, but in this case it didn’t work. A reader has to have some commitment either to a character or characters, or be able to appreciate the coherence of the narrative arc, even where it is not ‘realist. This wasn’t the case here, there was nothing to hold on to, no one to like, no overall coherence. It did not evoke the arbitrariness of life but rather the tricksiness of the writer.She writes beautifully insofar as the prose is concerned, but that is not enough without some kind of relatable narrative.

This book was given one star because I just couldn't get it. I didn't relate to any of the characters and I felt the author spent too much time describing minute details of insignificant things that she lost the detail of the important stuff. The missing daughter, never found, not a single trace... So much more could've been said and done about that. I've struggled through the entire book. Maybe it's just too high brow for me, maybe I'm a bit stupid. I read this for book club and I know others have struggled with it but we've not yet met to discuss. I was underwhelmed and frustrated throughout. It had the potential to be enthralling but for me it was a disjointed selection of adjectives and was too clever that it forgot the significance of what could've been a touching, emotional, heartbreaking tale.

Beautifully written, with powerful, evocative prose, this book opens the reader up to the fleeting, tantalising, elusive nature of unthinking deed and consequence. Frustratingly, there are no answers, no solution, understanding, tidying up. Events we do not plan for, random patterns that unfold in life, a split second becomes a formative dynamic shape. Reading the book I was hungry to know more, finishing it I was disappointed that I still didn't know and reminded of all the unanswered questions in my own life that leave a lonely emptiness that I can almost taste. But as in the book, you can only move on.

A disaster in the backwoods totally annihilating a family is central to this story of the lives of those affected to their past, present and future. It's a beautifully told tale of the mental effects of such an incident and also touching on the theme of pre-senile dementia. the skipping from era to era can be a bit disconcerting but this does concentrate the attention in quite an appealing way. the characters are strongly depicted and, despite their human failings, are all likeable. Equally strong are the descriptions of life up a backwoods mountain.