Let's just start with wow.... Tim Johnston's new novel Descent is a gripping, gut-wrenching, stay up until your eyes burn read....one you absolutely have to get your hands on.The Courtlands decide to take one last family vacation before their daughter Caitlin starts college in the fall. One morning Caitlin and her brother Ben go for a run/bike ride up the trails while parents Grant and Angela sleep in.
And that sleep in becomes Grant and Angela's what if.... because Caitlin is gone and Ben is badly injured...and the Courtlands are thrown into one of those stories you only read about on the front page. They are living the nightmare.
Descent is an exploration of the aftermath of that fateful day, told from the viewpoint of all the family members (including Caitlin) - the recriminations, the slow eroding of relationships and ties in the face of such tragedy. But it's also a story of faith, friendship, hope and fortitude. All slowly laid bare by Johnston's prose - raw and moving, yet elegant in their simplicity.
I had to put the book down and walk away a few times - some of the situations and emotions were overwhelming. Johnston is a powerful writer. And I admit to doing the unthinkable - peeking ahead a few pages just to calm myself down before continuing on. Descent again reaffirms why I love to read - to be moved and transported by the power of words is simply amazing.
The label literary thriller is on the cover blurb of Descent and I think it's totally spot on. Absolutely recommended. Read an excerpt of Descent. You can find Tim Johnston on Twitter .
