Morag Joss, Half Broken Things

This beautifully written novel takes its time building to the crime hinted at on its dust jacket. Joss tells a sweet story about three broken people—Jean, Michael, and Steph—who find each other and build a family unit, living as divorced from the rest of society as possible. Their days are filled with homely pursuits—house repairs, fruit picking, childcare, family dinners, wine by the fire. But Joss's description of even the most idyllic of summer afternoons is suffused with tension because we readers know that the trio's happiness has an expiration date. They know it too, but they choose not to think about it. The story is told partly in third person and partly in first, the latter in an account being written by Jean. If I were to complain, I'd say I'm not completely sold on Michael's character development—something toward the end of the book that I'm not convinced he'd agree to. But I wouldn't argue that point too strongly. What a beautiful read.