Aussie Book Review: All That Is Lost Between Us by Sara Foster

Book reviews

8 Mar

All That Is Lost Between Us by Sara FosterPaperbackReview copy provided by publisherSimon & Schuster, February 2016Synopsis- Seventeen-year-old Georgia has a secret – one that is isolating her from everyone she loves. She is desperate to tell her best friend, but Sophia is ignoring her, and she doesn’t know why. And before she can find out, Sophia is left fighting for her life after a hit and run, with Georgia a traumatised witness.As a school psychologist, Georgia’s mother Anya should be used to dealing with scared adolescents. However, it’s very different when the girl who needs help is your own child. Meanwhile, Georgia’s father is wracked with a guilt he can’t share; and when Zac, Georgia’s younger brother, stumbles on an unlikely truth, the family relationships really begin to unravel.Georgia’s secret is about to go viral. And yet, it will be the stranger heading for the family home who will leave her running through the countryside into terrible danger. Can the Turner family rise above the lies they have told to betray or protect one another, in order to fight for what matters most of all?Set against the stark, rugged beauty of England’s Lake District, All That is Lost Between Us is a timeless thriller with a modern twist.Review- All That is Lost Between Us is another solid read by Australian author Sara Foster. Her psychological thrillers often leave me thinking about them days after I've put them down and this one is no different. A little slow to start, Sara takes her time to set up each of the character's in the story. There's 17 year old Georgia who has a secret, her brother Zac who discovers the secret, her mother Anya the school psychologist and her father who buries himself in work so he doesn't have to face the fact that his family is falling apart.This is a character-driven novel with plenty of family dynamic tension and relationship issues that anyone can relate to! I actually found my alliance with characters in this story quite different to my usual reading experiences. I think if I'd read this 6 months ago I'd have related more to Georgia, but having read this as a new mother of a baby girl, I found myself aligning myself with Anya. As a parent and a psychologist (jobs I also share), Anya's inner turmoil was very realistic and I liked the honesty that was portrayed between the mother-daughter relationship. I too began to wonder about my future relationship with my daughter and the point where she becomes dependent on me to becoming a young woman and wanting exert her independence. Not only does Foster explore realistic familial conflict she also touches on current societal issues faced by teens today; namely social media.I wasn't quite sure where this story was heading and though the plot didn't make a huge impact on me as a reader, the character growth did. I'd recommend this read!