Cracked Pots by Heather Tucker (ARC Review)

Title: Cracked Pots
Author: Heather Tucker
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Historical, Literary Fiction, CanLit
Publisher: ECW Press
Date published: October 5, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The unforgettable and tender new novel from the author of the acclaimed Indie Next List pick The Clay Girl Natasha, the perfect girl, from the nicest family, has vanished … For once in Ari Appleton’s life, this mayhem is not the fault of her twisted mother or dead father — or is it? From the waning flower-power ’60s in Toronto, through her East Coast university years, Ari fights to discover who she is and what it means to be the child of an addicted mother and depraved father. With wit, tenacity, and the incessant meddling of Jasper — the seahorse in her head — Ari rides turbulent waves of devilry and discovery, calamity and creation, abandonment and atonement on a journey to find her true self, and to find Natasha. Cracked Pots is a story about a girl broken by both cruelty and truth. It is a revelation: that destiny is shaped in clay, not stone. It is also a celebration: of rising after the blows, gathering the fragments, and piecing together a remarkable life through creativity, kindness, and belonging.

⤖ My Review ⬻

The book before this one, The Clay Girl, was my favourite book of 2016! I’ve been waiting for the continuation of this story for a long time, and I’m so happy I was able to dive back into Heather Tucker’s writing.

Speaking of the writing, it was as phenomenal in Cracked Pots as in The Clay Girl! It was my favourite thing bout the first book, and it was my favourite about this book as well. Some of the turns of phrase just left me in awe—I red them multiple times in appreciation.

I was happy about where in the plot Cracked Pots picked up—I wasn’t sure where in the story I would land when starting the second book. I also had no idea which direction the story would go in, and definitely didn’t expected what happened and how we got there.

I also felt a lot more conflicted about some of the characters than I did in The Clay Girl. What stayed consistent for me was how intensely I felt for the characters in both books—intense love or intense hate. Cracked Pots was great and I don’t think I can compre it against The Clay Girl really—I just don’t think they’re comparabie. But please know I recommend both!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Throughout a long and varied career in the health sciences Heather has gathered stories— from nursing internationally, to her experience as a teacher, a public health and psychiatric nurse and bereavement counsellor. She worked extensively as a professional writer, developing educational resources, policy and curricula… until discovering that ‘playing with words’ is more fun than working with them. Read more