The Locked-Away Life by Drew Davies - Book Review

The Locked-Away Life by Drew Davies

Pub: 04th Aug 2022

Genre: Contemporary Drama 

3.7 Stars

One Liner: Great premise but needed a better execution 

*****

The Locked-Away Life is the story of two people, Esther and Bruno. Esther is an old woman, a recluse who shut herself away from the public eye after a mega scandal in the 70s. She needs to come to terms with and accept the latest technology to continue being independent and uncover the mystery from her past. 

Bruno is an eighteen-year-old boy with too much burden on his shoulders and a secret hidden deep inside his heart. He needs money to get away from the small town and build a life. 

When Bruno sees Esther’s ad about a paid position, he knows he needs to grab it. What starts as a tutoring session grows into something more as two unlikely people try to sort out the past, present, and future. Can Esther find peace from her past? Can Bruno figure out his future? 

The story comes in limited third-person POVs from Esther and Bruno. 

What I Like: 

The book deals with concepts like mental health, guilt, sexuality, regret, remorse, self-doubt, family & relationships, friendships, etc. It is heavier than my expectations but has enough light-hearted moments. 

Bruno’s desire to be ‘normal’ and his determination to attend Camp Change to change his sexuality is a heartbreaking premise. The camp scenes are well done without over-dramatization. 

Bruno’s vulnerability and compassion come out really well. He is a typical teen in some ways, but he is a sweet boy. 

 The interactions between Esther and others are interesting. Her conversations with Bruno, Dominic, Filip, Jane, etc., show different sides of her (all coming together to present the picture of an old lady with strong opinions and an iron will). 

It’s lovely to see characters like Esther become at ease with technology. As someone who taught my grandpa to understand the new features on his smartphone, I relate to the scenes. 

There are two epilogues, one for Esther and one for Bruno. I like them both, though everything is tied up a little too neatly. Still, I get a happy/hopeful ending, so no complaints. 

What didn’t Work for Me: 

The pacing is slow. It doesn’t help that the first chapter is almost 20% long (when the story ends at 91% in my eARC). Imagine that! A couple of chapters are just a page and a half long, but to read a super big first chapter feels tedious. 

The scandal from Esther’s past drags too much. I stopped caring by the time it is revealed. Even then, the details are hazy and underwhelming. Her character arc and the reason to isolate herself from the world don’t mesh. 

Too many words are wasted on Esther’s past while Bruno’s school life is ‘told’. Given the importance of his character arc in the story, we need to know more about what made him so vulnerable and doubtful. Seems like a lost opportunity to talk about things that matter. 

The idea behind the characters is more appealing than the characters. Not to say that they aren’t good. They just aren’t as effective as they should have been. I can’t pinpoint my issue, but it feels like the emotional connection between the characters and the readers is not complete (at least for me). 

To sum up, The Locked-Away Life is a heartwarming story with a wonderful premise but somehow doesn’t reach its full potential. This could have been so much better! 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #TheLockedAwayLife

*****

P.S: I debated a lot between 3 and 4 stars. A part of me wants to rate it three for the missed opportunities. But this is a good book despite the few misses. Three stars seem too less, so I'm rounding it off to four.