Willa, the "golden sister" was compliant in everything-she was a good student and never made waves. Laika, the little sister was the opposite-she made her opinions known, even if she knew it would get her in trouble with her fierce, unbending father. After a life of unexplained bruises and injuries, Laika disappears at the age of thirteen. We follow Willa, whose life has been turned upside down by Laika's disappearance, as she attends a new boarding school and meets her roommate Robyn. The girls become more than close as Willa tells Robyn her version of the now infamous story. Willa also goes to Robyn's home for a relaxing vacation and gets the attention and validation that she never received at her own house. As the girls grow up, their paths diverge-Robyn marries an architect and, with her wife, raises a family. Willa, who really wants to have a child, attends a dinner party at Robyn's house with her dicey boyfriend and, at the dinner table, another guest discusses the unreliability of childhood memories. Willa is in for a shock as secrets begin to be revealed.
The title, "Things Don't Break on Their Own" is a very important element in the book. It is referred to when a beautiful bowl, handmade by Robyn's father, is shattered and restored with silver mixed into the clay as an example of kintsugi. It is also mentioned when six-year-old Laika's arm is broken on the day of her mother's birthday party. Each character got a chance to tell their part of the story and as things started to come together, I really admired how the author salted the novel with clues that seemed obvious at the end. This was a page turner with a more than satisfying ending-I enjoyed unraveling the mystery.
Reviewed by Donna Ballard
Publication date - July 16, 2024
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