Alex Dahl | THE HEART KEEPER

Plot (via Goodreads):

"How far would you go to get your daughter back?

It’s been twelve months since Alison Miller-Juul’s world fell apart when her six-year-old daughter, Amalie, drowned. Twelve months of sympathy cards, grief counselling and gritting her teeth, but it’s still only the vodka and pills that seem to work.

Alison no longer cares about anything. She can’t smile at her step-son, she can’t answer her friends’ texts, she can’t even look at her husband. All Alison wants is Amalie back.

Then she learns that the girl who received her daughter's heart lives just a few streets away. Unlike Amalie, this girl has a future. She’s alive because Amalie’s heart beats for her. And in the darkest recess of Alison’s brain, an idea begins to take shape…

Review:

Last summer when I read the jaw-dropping debut of Alex Dahl, I immediately wondered where she would go next. Would the next novel be just as dark? Would the characters be just as scandalous? Would the plot suck me in like this one? Yes, yes, and hell yes. The Heart Keeper in my opinion is even better. The plot is harrowing and moody, the characters are pragmatic, and the plot to this story is captivating and sensational.

What I really enjoyed about this novel that sets it apart from a lot of things out there is that it is not only unique and something I would've never dreamed of reading in a novel, but it's equal parts thrilling and poignant. This obviously deals with some sensitive matters involving children and their parents and my heart was just broken and yet pulsating at the same time in a striking manner. I love that Dahl just relies on her stunning storytelling abilities instead of necessarily crafting twists and turns to keep her reader engaged. As the novel progresses, you can definitely tell what direction it is going in and at the same time, you can guess what kind of rabbit hole you're going to be falling into, but you can't stop yourself. I was at a constant battle of wanting to enjoy the darkness of this story and the direction it was heading in all while embracing the heaviness of the story, while also the angel on my shoulder wanted me to pray for a happy ending to protect all parties involved.

Once again, this is a story that is stunning, but definitely relies on the brilliance of the characters to just knock it out of the park. And Alex Dahl is the MVP of writing realistic characters. I loved the contrast between the two women - both loving mothers and yet one is on the top of the world while the other is dealing with living hell. Dahl spends a decent amount of time allowing her reader to get to know each woman before they get to know one another, but once they do, it is a brutal tale of loss, redemption, and protection. I mean, this one starts off pretty dark and goes even farther into the abyss than I thought it would, the whole time being adventurous and psychologically moving. With an ending that was palpable and spine-tingling, yet perfect in its prose, I was eager recommend this one to everyone I know and beginning to count down the minutes until I can get my hands on another read from Alex Dahl.

Special thanks to Berkley Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5