The Coordinates of Loss

MY FIRST THOUGHTS

This is such a sad book, but so beautifully written – I cannot help but love it, despite the utter despairing grief Rachel and James have to go through. It’s surprisingly a fast read featuring that two main ingredients Amanda Prowse is very good at: contemporary family issues and the drama that comes with it.

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MY REVIEW:

The Coordinates of Loss by Amanda Prowse

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Coordinates of Loss by Amanda Prowse is a poignant rumination on life, love, and the desolation of losing a much-loved child. Realistic. Heartbreaking. Totally emotional.

To some this may sound like a rather grim read, but there is much more to this story-line than just doom and gloom. Through Prowse’s characterisation I always feel we’re made privy to her characters innermost thoughts; discovering what makes flawed people like ourselves human.

Although the story is mainly about the parents coping with the loss of their young child during a boating trip, and their privileged life in the beautifully exotic setting of Bermuda, there’s also another story threaded through the pages. This sub-story balances out the terrible times Rachel and James Croft are going through, whilst adding another layer to the mix. It’s about their housekeeper, Cee-Cee, and how Rachel discovers her letters which reveal a past Cee-Cee would’ve liked to talk to her employers about, but couldn’t. So she writes her thoughts down in the hope she might share them one day. Some of them she does.

Cee-Cee has lead a very different life to the Crofts privileged one, and during her employment with them, she grew to love little Oscar just as much as they. He brought much joy to all of their hearts, and it’s through this connection the story unfolds, not only binding each other together, but as a way to analyse their own lives and take that step forward towards healing their shattered hearts. This theme made for some highly emotional, yet uplifting and cleverly written scenes.

Yes! I am so pleased this is another solid story by Amanda Prowse, which delves into the labyrinth of human psyche and all its imperfect glory! Despite the unrelenting bleakness of this topic, there’s also a powerful message of how we CAN cope, against all odds, against adversity and against the most cruellest of times.

I’d like to think this is a story about how adaptable we are. With the right help, and love, we can choose to break or we can take on these tragic experiences and use them to grow. Not give up.

It’s also a stark reminder of how much joy one little tiny human being can bring into a family and their friends’ hearts, and how easily it can all be taken away – yet the ripples of life carry on. Regardless. And so must we.

Thank you to the publisher and Amanda Prowse for my ARC. This is my honest review and not biased in any way. Unless you call being a fan, biased.
View all my reviews

The Coordinates of Loss

by Amanda Prowse

4.34 · Rating details · 38 Ratings · 35 Reviews

From bestselling author Amanda Prowse comes a tale of a blissful life, a happy marriage, a beloved son…and a tragedy that destroys it all.

When Rachel Croft wakes up on her family’s boat in Bermuda, it’s to sunshine and yet another perfect day…until she goes to wake her seven-year-old son, Oscar. Because the worst thing imaginable has happened. He isn’t there.

In the dark and desperate days that follow, Rachel struggles to navigate her grief. And while her husband, James, wants them to face the tragedy together, Rachel feels that the life they once shared is over. Convinced that their happy marriage is now a sham, and unable to remain in the place where she lost her son, she goes home to Bristol alone.

Only when she starts receiving letters from Cee-Cee, her housekeeper in Bermuda, does light begin to return to Rachel’s soul. She and James both want to learn to live again—but is it too late for them to find a way through together?

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