Book Review: The Nearest Far Away Place by Hayley Long

The Nearest Far Away Place
Author: Hayley Long
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Release date: 25th October 2017
Pages: 320 pages
R.R.P: $16.99
                                       
Griff and Dylan are driving into Manhattan with their parents when the worst happens. There is a terrible car accident and Dylan and Griff's parents are killed.

The boys are suddenly orphans with nowhere to go, until a kind aunt and un,Ce give them a new home in Wales. Now Dylan and Griff have everything they need: love, a happy home and a future. But Dylan is worried about griff: whether he is ok, whether he is coping with his grief. He doesn't seem to want to speak about it or really acknowledge the loss of their parents.

But Dylan needs to be even braver than Griff, because there is something very important he needs to face up to before he can move on.

My review
Thoughts in the book: The Nearest Far Away Place is the heartbreakingly beautiful story of Griff and Dylan who tragically lose their parents in a freak car accident while coming home from holidays. Upon waking up in the hospital Dylan finds that he is the one that will have to be strong for Griff as they have basically no one else left to look after them as their parents didn't really have much family. Having also travelled around most of their lives they haven't really had that one place to call home. Their parents colleague, and the boys current principle, takes the boys into her home until something can be worked out. Both boys are really struggling with what happened but Griff more so then Dylan. Then the boys are shipped off to their aunt and uncle's house in Wales who they have never met. Will the boys finally face up to what happened when they are guaranteed a permanent home?

Wow. Just wow. This book was an amazingly quick read and I really enjoyed most aspects of the book. This review is really hard to write without spoilers though so it might not be too long of one. Our main character Dylan was very likeable and a typical boy which we especially see through the flashbacks plopped throughout the book. I loved his witty banter that he had towards his brother and the friendship that he developed with Matilda. Although I must say on the Matilda front I found it a bit weird that her family were constantly turning up where Dylan's family was. I mean the first time it happened was when her dad had been transferred for awhile to a new bank, the second time apparently the same thing happened and the third time they just magically were having a holiday where their family was. Yes it could have all been a massive coincidence, or fate pushing them in the right directions but it seemed weird to me. I thought they must have been robbers or something or trying to steal their identity foe something.

This next but is the hard bit where I'm trying to write this spoiler free so I can't really go into too much detail of what it is. So on page 211 I figured something out and I quickly turned to the back to have a peek and see if I was infact right. I was and suddenly everything made so much sense and I understood what was happening and why. But finding out a bit earlier than when we get told in the book kind of ruined it a little for me as I expected everything that happened after. But I also felt so stupid for taking so long to work it out, to me is practically spelt out in the synopsis. But in saying that even now I'm going back over the book and analysing some of the moments and making sense of certain characters which is what authors aim for: to make you think of their book long after you have read it. So thank you Hayley Long for writing a fabulous book and I can't wait to read more from you.

Rating: 4/5









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