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A Novel
by Jane Harper
Coming home dredges up deeply buried secrets in The Survivors, a thrilling mystery by New York Times bestselling author Jane Harper.
Kieran Elliott's life changed forever on the day a reckless mistake led to devastating consequences.
The guilt that still haunts him resurfaces during a visit with his young family to the small coastal community he once called home.
Kieran's parents are struggling in a town where fortunes are forged by the sea. Between them all is his absent brother, Finn.
When a body is discovered on the beach, long-held secrets threaten to emerge. A sunken wreck, a missing girl, and questions that have never washed away...
You can see the full discussion in our legacy forum here. This discussion will contain spoilers!
Some of the recent comments posted about The Survivors:
Are the young men "nice guys"? What behaviors of male characters described in the novel lend weight to the idea of a culture of toxic masculinity, and why do you think this culture exists?
I think the answer to this question depends on one’s personal standards and experiences.
My standards are pretty high because I’m the oldest (by six years) and only daughter among my siblings. Also, I teach middle ... - NCjeanne
Ash and Kieran have grown into quite different men. Why do you think this is?
Different paths in life. Kiernan left town, Keirnan married and had children, his life settled down. As on the other hand Ash never married, had no children and stayed in the same town he was raised in. - taking.mytime
Did you suspect at any point that Sean might have been involved in the deaths?
Clues were well hidden, as Harper is so good at doing. It took me a long time to suspect anyone, and especially Sean. I did feel early on that Sean was not getting his due in the book - he seemed to be just an outlier of the original group, which ... - taking.mytime
Do you think Mia is right that events surrounding the storm made Kieran kinder? What was it about the events of the storm that could have prompted a change in Kieran? How did he continue to change in its aftermath?
I believe that people change naturally. Everything we do and see and hear changes us a little bit at a time. As we age we tend to grow into things we may not have had in our youth, be it kindness, patience, or understanding. Each major and unique ... - taking.mytime
George Barlin says of Evelyn Bay, "Places like this, they need to be tight-knit to work. Once the trust is broken, they're stuffed..." Do you think this is true?
In small towns people need to be helpful, or tight-knit - volunteer fire departments for example - but they also need to curb their tongues. Gossip and rumor can hurt a small community, and the people living there, quicker than anything else. There ... - taking.mytime
#1 International Bestseller
"As always, Harper skillfully evokes the landscape as she weaves a complicated, elegant web, full of long-buried secrets ready to come to light." —New York Times Book Review
"Another suspenseful thriller...And in Harper's proven style, the story is not only atmospheric, it delves deep into the psyche of main character Kieran Elliott and the townsfolk, unearthing dark secrets, hidden guilt and simmering social tensions." —Herald Sun
"The latest stunner from Jane Harper…[She] expertly raises the reader's pulse throughout the narrative, insinuating what happened that day but only revealing the truth slowly as Kieran comes to see past and present in a new light." —Booklist, starred review
"[Harper is] a master at creating atmospheric settings, and it's easy to fall under her spell…A layered and nuanced mystery." —Kirkus
"Jane Harper has created a tightly told, beautifully written, and suspenseful novel… It is a novel of guilt, remorse, injustice, and regret, all skillfully woven together seamlessly into a realistic work of literary power I cannot recommend highly enough." —Deadly Pleasures
"Harper expertly weaves past guilts with present grief. She remains a writer to watch." —Publishers Weekly
"Jane Harper creates an impressive landscape that serves to illustrate how the experience of place inevitably shapes the lives of those who live there." —Sydney Morning Herald
"It's now clear Harper has a gift...every book has a distinct landscape that plays a central part in the plot made possible by her uncanny knack of bringing scenery to life." —Daily Telegraph
This information about The Survivors was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jane Harper is the New York Times bestselling author of The Dry; and Force of Nature (both featuring Detective Aaron Falk); and two stand-alone novels: The Lost Man and The Survivors. The Exiles, the third volume in the Aaron Falk series, will publish in January 2023.
Jane previously worked as a print journalist in Australia and the UK and lives in Melbourne with her husband, daughter, and son.
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