Some elements of this book remind me a lot of Lanny by Max Porter and, honestly, the fact that I can’t stop making the comparison between the two texts is the reason why I’m a little dissatisfied by the way the book panned out. Both books read like a folktale, with elements of folklore discussed within the actual story, and they both also tackle the idea of community, namely the way the narrators/protagonists are ostracised and spoken about by those in the wider community who deem them weird or inhuman. That being said, I can’t help but think Lanny does this a lot better. Each book is short in length but where Max Porter is able to use this space to expertly explore the various voices of the local townsfolk, Sue Rainsford’s attempt to do the same failed at making a big impact on me. We are given several perspective shifts in the form of chapters narrated by the patients Ada and her Father work on, and I just… didn’t really care for any of them outside of maybe Sampson and Olivia. I genuinely do think this narrative needed more space to breathe, at least 150+ more pages and a little less time jumps in order to be something that stuck, something that explored the world and its people in more depth.