This book will almost certainly be in the top ten books I read this year, unless something amazing happens to my book choices in the next four months.
Ruskovich's writing is remarkably beautiful; the descriptions of the mountain and the forest are breathtaking. And the fact that she doesn't provide clear answers, that everything is a little hazy, makes it exactly the kind of book I enjoy. I loved how as Ann tries to collect and hold all the pieces of what happened out on the mountain, just as they fade from Wade's mind. The characters are complex and real, their motivations always understated; I even came to sympathise with and cry for Jenny, despite what she did. It is a wonderful book and I'll be recommending it to anyone who will listen.
It's published in the UK in Feb 2017.
www.clairefuller.co.uk

Not sure whether this was a 3.5 or 4 for me. I loved the firs half and sped through it, but the second half dragged on somewhat. I feel like this book could have been at least 50 pages shorter and probably stronger for it.

I don't know whether the author intended it this way or not, but the story didn't provide all the answers to the tragedy that happened, and I remain more than a little confused.

The comparisons to Dumaurier are apt. Sometimes slow, and yet consistently gripping, Idaho is a heavy little book that will stay with you long after you put it down.

This book was painful to read, so hard to follow. It jumps all over the place from useless character to useless character. The actual story (if there was one) could have been 20 pages.

If you’re thinking about reading this book, stop. Don’t do it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this angry and betrayed by a book. The plot sounds interesting from the blurb. Don’t let that trick you as that is such a minor part of the book and NEVER gets resolved. The juice was so not worth the squeeze with this one. I was going to give it 2 stars up until the end when I realized the book started not going anywhere, and continued not going anywhere right until the bitter end.

Well, at least I can cross Idaho off as a book from my reading around the country list...

Parts of the writing are beautiful, but overall I did not enjoy this book mostly because there’s no closure. You get glimpses into the lives of characters at certain points in time but you never fully understand their motivations nor do you find out what happens to them.

I read books for entertainment. I want closure, dang it.

There are far too many unanswered questions and also pieces that don't seem to be connected. I think this book had potential, but it doesn't come together well. I feel like the author couldn't make up her mind about how she wanted all the pieces to fit, so she just jumbled it all up and threw it into a book.

Spoiler

I also really can't imagine Jenny killing her daughter in a fit of jealousy. Nothing in her personality was set up for that act. The author left some bread crumbs to make you think it could've been June that killed her, but not enough for me to believe that either.

This is not the book to read if you want clear answers and a closed ending. However, this is a beautiful and dark book which tackles a variety of human emotions. It speaks of love, friendship, forgiveness, redemption, isolation and fear.
At the beginning, the book appears to read slowly (I was left thinking it will be a long haul) but I continued to read I realised I was hanging onto every word and couldn’t put it down. I finished the book in 2 days much to my surprise!
The writing is stunning in an almost lyrical way. Really enjoyed this one.

I want to give this book a 5. I loved the intricate way the author pulls together all of the stories. I don’t even mind the chapter from the dogs perspective. But she didn’t write WHY!? It makes no sense to end this story without explaining why a seemingly happy woman would kill her child. I just don’t understand that. I wish I could give this book a five. 😐😮😳

This may be an odd thing to like, but my favorite aspect of this novel was the structure. I love the non-linear jumps back and forth; I find it forces you to pay close attention and it's very effective. And for the most part, I thought the writing was very good. That said, there was a lot I did not like about this too. The love story between Ann and Wade was supposed to be the heart of the book and it did nothing for me at all. Ann is a very uninteresting character, and their story really romanticizes her sacrificing herself for him. It takes a lot for me to dislike a character who's lost a child but I did not like Wade at all. My other biggest problem here was the event that caused that loss; in the beginning it seems to be building toward shedding light on what actually happened and why, but you never really get good resolution there, and what you do get really makes no sense. Very mixed bag and overall disappointing.