Review (PDF)

Wreckage

Lillian Linden is a liar. On the surface, she looks like a brave survivor of a plane crash. But she’s been lying to her family, her friends, and the whole world since rescue helicopters scooped her and her fellow survivor, Dave Hall, off a deserted island in the South Pacific. Missing for almost two years, the castaways are thrust into the spotlight after their rescue, becoming media darlings overnight. But they can’t tell the real story—so they lie.The public is fascinated by the castaways’ saga, but Lillian and Dave must return to their lives and their spouses. Genevieve Randall—a hard-nosed journalist and host of a news program—isn’t buying it. She suspects Lillian’s and Dave’s explanations about the other crash survivors aren’t true. And now, Genevieve’s determined to get the real story, no matter how many lives it destroys.In this intriguing tale of survival, secrets, and redemption, two everyday people thrown together by tragedy must finally face the truth…even if it tears them apart.

File Size: 1645 KB

Print Length: 305 pages

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing (March 1, 2015)

Publication Date: March 1, 2015

Sold by:  Digital Services LLC

Language: English

ASIN: B00NAJZDIM

Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray: Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled

Lending: Not Enabled

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #631 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #19 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Contemporary #21 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > Women's Fiction #26 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Literary Fiction > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Like many others here, I got "Wreckage" as a "Kindle First" book, so I didn't pay anything for it, which was good, because it was one of the dumbest books I've ever read. It's about two survivors (a man and a woman) of a plane crash who, after almost two years stranded on an island, are rescued and brought back to civilization. But apparently, they have some big secret about something terrible that happened on the island and the secret is so horrific that they have to go to great lengths and concoct and elaborate web of lies to keep whatever it is from ever coming to light. Sounds intriguing, right? That's what I thought......except I figured out the Big, Dark, Terrible Secret almost immediately. And it really wasn't that Big and Dark and Terrible. In fact, it was really not Big and Dark and Terrible at all, and it certainly did not necessitate all the guilt and lies and deception these people went through. That's actually why I kept reading- I just couldn't believe that *that* was what all the fuss was about. Surely, the Big Reveal couldn't possibly be so predictable and underwhelming, right? There *must* be something else coming, something bigger and darker and genuinely shocking that would justify all the lies and deceit. But there wasn't. Just this completely foreseeable and boring "twist," that did not justify all the effort the characters went to in order to conceal it. Seriously, there was NO REASON- none whatsoever- to freak out and create a ridiculous cover story and make a pact to Never Speak of It Again. And the ending- oh my word, do not get me started on the ending. It was one of the stupidest endings I have ever read- completely unbelievable and so artificially sweet I'm pretty sure it could cause cancer in lab animals. Combine that with lackluster writing and insipid dialogue and the whole thing read like a bad Lifetime movie that I'm still mad at myself for wasting my time on.

From the outset, we learn that one of the protagonists, Lillian, has been lying left and right, more times than she can count. She's being interviewed for TV because she just returned to her family, and we know that she has basically assumed a different look and personality. We don't know much more about what's going on with her, or even what the main storyline of the book will be, except that this woman is a mystery. The fun of the book is slowly piecing together what is going on with this woman (and the other protagonist, Dave) and why. Little tidbits keep coming and coming, and the story goes back and forth between past and present. This is a hard one to put down! Given that style of storytelling, it's hard to say too much about this book, because I don't want to ruin it for anyone.However, without giving away the enjoyment of the book, I would put this novel in that category of fiction involving protagonists that aren't fully trustworthy, or that you don't fully understand. (I'm thinking of "Gone Girl" and "Atonement.") "Wreckage" has different sorts of plot twists, but if you liked those books, I'm confident that you'll get sucked into this book, too.Beyond the plot, I thought the author was an excellent writer. She strikes a really nice balance in using vivid language, and just the right amount of detail. This book was really a joy to read. I will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.STRONGEST RECOMMENDATION!

This novel's themes were relevant and highly topical: the further wreckage caused, in any human disaster, by television news' callous disrespect for privacy in their quest for ratings; how popular culture trivializes suffering as the rightful entertainment of the masses; the rubbernecking judgmentalism of most television viewers; the will to live and protect those you love regardless of terrible circumstances. These are all good and worthy.But I found myself frustrated that the novel wasn't better, particularly since it was a Kindle First selection. Yes, as a Prime member I was pleased to get it for free, but this book lets its readers down in several ways.First, the character of Kent simply isn't believable, nor is his relationship with Theresa. That needed much better development in order to understand how he turned into the person he turned into.More development of the hardships of survival on the island was necessary. There was not nearly enough world-building.Paul is the novel's great secret, but it's obvious from first mention of his name who he must be.And why the incredibly tangled web? I never believed all the subterfuge was even necessary. Lillian's reasons for having agreed to the Big Interview didn't make sense to me at all. I didn't understand why they had to be interviewed by anyone. A united and impenetrable "No" to all interview requests should not have been that difficult. After all, the fifteen minutes of fame would have been over, and other vacuous news stories would have replaced it in the news cycle.The end of the novel was so neat and tidy that I felt the author had tired of her creation. Group hug, everybody!So overall, Wreckage is kind of like a pop tart - it fills a vacancy but is ultimately cloying.

I really enjoyed this book. The way that each chapter was from a different perspective and time was a captivating way to reveal the story. Each chapter revealed more and piece by piece, the story came together. I was not surprised by the ending (it's kind of what I suspected), but I couldn't put the book down, in anticipation of the ending. Great read! I greatly appreciated that the story, while dealing with adult subject matter did not contain crude language or graphic sex scenes.

Wreckage No Matter the Wreckage The Wreckage