From the Bookshelf of One N' Done Book Corner…

Long Bright River

Liz Moore

Start date: September 1, 2020

Finish date: September 30, 2020

Discussion: September 2020

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September 2020

September 2020 BOTM - Long Bright River
By La Tonya · 9 posts · 25 views

last updated Sep 18, 2020 10:32AM

September 2020 Poll
By La Tonya · 1 post · 4 views

last updated Aug 26, 2020 06:20AM

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Dec 05, 2019 Meredith (Trying to catch up!) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: edelweiss

Long Bright River is a beautifully written and powerful story about two sisters and the destruction of addiction.

Mickey and Kacey, daughters of addicts, take two very different paths in life. As children, they were inseparable, as adults they are estranged. Mickey becomes a cop, Kacey an addict.

When young female addicts start being murdered, Mickey fears even more for Kacey's life. When Mickey discovers that Kacey is missing, she investigates putting her life, her son, and her job in danger.

Mi Long Bright River is a beautifully written and powerful story about two sisters and the destruction of addiction.

Mickey and Kacey, daughters of addicts, take two very different paths in life. As children, they were inseparable, as adults they are estranged. Mickey becomes a cop, Kacey an addict.

When young female addicts start being murdered, Mickey fears even more for Kacey's life. When Mickey discovers that Kacey is missing, she investigates putting her life, her son, and her job in danger.

Mickey is the narrator. She is the good, reliable sister. At the same time, she is also self-righteous and prideful. Her fear of being hurt has caused her to lead a life of isolation. With every OD she hears of, she fears she will hear her sister’s name called. As her walls come down, her deepest and darkest secrets are revealed. Her strong facade slowly peels away revealing a scared and hurt woman who has not recovered from the traumas of her childhood.

Subtly written about the love between sisters and the destructive nature of addiction, Moore has created characters who are complex, flawed, and broken. She doesn’t impose any judgment but rather captures the realities of addiction.

I loved everything about this book. It is not easy to read and it made me very uncomfortable and emotional at times. The final sentence is disturbing and impactful--it brought tears to my eyes. The characterization is extremely strong--Mickey and Kacey remind me of people I know. Moore brings Kensington, a neighborhood in Philadelphia ravaged by poverty and addiction, to life. She captures both the devastation and glimmers of hope of the people who inhabit Kensington. The strong love for the neighborhood shines through in the characters and highlights the goodness that exists in the darkness.

“People with promise, people dependent and depended upon, people loving and beloved, one after another, in a line, in a river, no fount and no outlet, a long bright river of departed souls.”

I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
...more

296 likes · Like · see review

Sep 12, 2020 La Tonya Jordan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: good-read

Two sisters born two years apart, from the same neighborhood, schools, grandmother, parents, family, and life choices. Each take a different path only to circle one another in the end. One decides to be a police officer with the Philadelphia Police Department, this is Michaela, nickname Mickey. The other is Kacey, a drug addict and sex worker.

Kensington is an area in Philadelphia that has been infested with drugs and poverty. This is the area Mickey patrols. She normally sees her sister standin ...more

37 likes · Like · see review

Apr 06, 2023 Vanessa rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, bookriot, mental-illness-and-addiction, novelist, feeling-the-metropolitan-fantasy

All of these memories are fading, now. These days, I bring forth each one only sparingly, and then place it carefully back in its drawer. I ration them. Preserve them. Each year they become slighter, more translucent, fleeting shards of sweetness on the tongue. If I can keep them intact enough, I tell myself, then one day I might pass them on.

I was not prepared for how much I would love this book. It's a well-made mystery placed inside a lush, full universe full of broken, complicated people in All of these memories are fading, now. These days, I bring forth each one only sparingly, and then place it carefully back in its drawer. I ration them. Preserve them. Each year they become slighter, more translucent, fleeting shards of sweetness on the tongue. If I can keep them intact enough, I tell myself, then one day I might pass them on.

I was not prepared for how much I would love this book. It's a well-made mystery placed inside a lush, full universe full of broken, complicated people in a tale that at its core is about forgiveness. Forgiveness found and forgiveness withheld.

Thomas picks up the bishops, holds one up to Mrs. Mahon.
--Is he a bad guy? he says.
He does look menacing: opaque and eyeless, the slit in his hat like a frown.
--They're both bad and good both, all the pieces, says Mrs. Mahon. Depending.

Mickey is a 30-ish police officer in Philadelphia who patrols Kensington (a neighborhood that has become ground zero for the heroin epidemic, there are lots of videos about it on YouTube.) She is the single parent of a 5 year old son and is estranged from what remains of her family, including her sister, an often homeless addict. When Mickey finds the body of a murdered woman, her superior initially dismisses her concerns until it becomes clear there is a serial killer stalking the young females of Kensington.

This makes Mickey increasingly anxious about the welfare of her sister, Kacey. And when she's unable to locate her, she becomes more and more frantic, leading to a series of bad decisions that will put her career and family in jeopardy. She'll also be forced to reckon with wrongdoings both received and bestowed and wonder what to do about them.

I could hear him breathing. I appreciate that, he said. But then he told me he had to go....and in his voice I heard that he was through, that I had lost him forever.
This happens, I tell myself. Sometimes, this happens.

This gut punches me more every time I read this line because it's so goddamn real.

Moore is so adept at capable of inviting you into her character's heads and fleshing out all the corners of their world, so while you want to scream "Mickey, DON'T DO THAT!", you understand and empathize and root for her to an almost painful degree. Mickey has had a few stressful years, maybe like 30 of them. She's been so buttoned up and striving for perfection since the day she was born so when life feeds her a shit sandwich that is finally too big for her mouth, she starts to fray.

This book gave me some strong Mare of Easttown vibes (single female cop, based in Philly, complicated life), so this is a must read if you liked that show. It's also turned me into a Liz Moore fan, which I gather is a growing club.

Come join. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review

Feb 06, 2020 Jamie rated it it was amazing

My favorite read this year and probably one of my favorite of all time. More than 5 beautiful stars for this book!
I loved every word on every page and did not want this story to end- but I couldn't read it fast enough. However, the ending is the only part of this book I was a little let down by.
This was the story between two sisters who grew up void of any real parental love- seeking it wherever they could. I'm so glad the story didn't end up butterflies and roses but I am glad the sisters were ...more

6 likes · Like · see review