Ashes by Steven Manchester
Goodreads Summary: “Middle-aged brothers Jason and Tom Prendergast thought they were completely done with each other. Perceived betrayal had burned the bridge between them, tossing them into the icy river of estrangement. But life and death has a robust sense of irony, and when they learn that their cruel father has died and made his final request that they travel together across the country to spread his ashes, they have no choice but to spend a long, long car trip in each other s company. It s either that or lose out on the contents of the envelope he s left with his lawyer. The trip will be as gut-wrenching as each expects it to be . . . and revealing in ways neither of them is prepared for.”
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This summary sounded intriguing to me, but I was not as thrilled by the result. I found this book to be very slow-moving. I found myself putting down the book and coming back determined to finish, only to repeat. It does speed up towards the end, but, in my opinion, this is a little too late.
We follow estranged brothers who are fighting the nightmares of the past. However, it takes a while to reveal the stories of the past in order for the reader to fully understand the nightmares of the past. The motivations for their actions are there I promise – you just need to be patient. Manchester strives to find the hope in family tragedy. I did like how the author throws in comedic moments to lighten the mood and ultimately the resolution.
3 stars for me.
**I received my copy via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you to the author and publisher for this opportunity.**
Beth's Book Blurbs 