Before I Let Go
I felt for Kyra as I read this novel. Kyra was shunned from her community because she was different. When she was finally diagnosed, the community still rejected her. Kyra just wanted to find someone that she could call a friend. One day, she found Corey and they were the best of friends until Corey moved away from Lost Creek. Corey said that she would come back and visit and Kyra tried to hold onto that dream but the walls kept closing in on her. Pushing her and pushing her until Kyra couldn’t take it anymore.
Corey didn’t believe the news when her mother received the call. Kyra had drowned. Corey couldn’t make sense of this news; how could Kyra drown in the frozen lakes in Alaska? All the lakes were frozen this time of year. Immediately, Corey catches a plane to Lost Creek, her emotions were stretched.
Corey notices that her hometown looks a bit different than when she left and she’s surprised when they tell her why. Corey knows that Kyra was depressed and lonely but she doesn’t feel that she’d kill herself. Corey wants to know more about Kyra’s last days and she plans to talk to people and see what they know about them. Corey is treated like an outsider by the individuals she grew up with, a reaction she doesn’t take lightly.
Curious about the town and meeting up with an old friend, Corey begins to see how things have changed since she left. Using flashbacks, we see Lost Creek many years ago and all the changes that have occurred over time. There have been drastic changes since Corey left, changes that have affected Kyra.
Kyra held-on to the notion that Corey would return. Kyra had written countless letters to Corey, some that Corey had received and now, it seems some that Corey never received. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in Corey’s shoes during this novel as it felt to me to be a heavy burden to carry.
There was this mysterious element as Corey investigates Kyra’s death. The novel had plenty of emotions threaded through it, as Kyra was on a roller-coaster as people accepted her and then cast her off. The ending was different. I guess in the long run it worked out and everyone was content. 3.5 stars
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire in exchange for an honest review.
8
