My book club read Faithful Place by Tana French. Most people in the group like a good mystery. But not me. This book was a mystery and from the plot I got a strong feeling that Tana did not grow up in a healthy family. The family of Frank Mackey is dysfunctional with a capital D also in italics. Because wow, this book comes with an overdose of bitterness. Frank grew up in a dysfunctional, alcoholic family who lived in the neighborhood called Faithful Place in Dublin in the 1970's. The situation at home was so bad that he left at the age of 19 and did not look back. He became a detective and worked in Dublin but stayed separate from his family physically and emotionally. He gets drawn back into Faithful Place when his girlfriend's suitcase is found. He and his girl planned to leave for England together back when he was 19 but she didn't show up and was never seen again. Since he is a detective he wants to know what happened. Was he dumped back then or did she disappear? We had a lively discussion at book club. Does a son have a duty to be there for his family even though they are a toxic bunch? Was Frank justified in his decision to abandon his family and not look back? Is it better for a family member to keep the toxic secrets or uncover serious crimes that have gone unpunished? I didn't really like the book. The bitterness was too much for me. I don't usually mind reading about people with problems but this one was over the top. Most people in my group loved it though.
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