Heaven

If you’ve been a long-time subscriber, you know that I’m an avid reader of mysteries, crime novels, and thrillers. I’ve been trying to expand my horizons a bit, but struggle to really find anything that captivates me outside of these genres (primarily because any deviation I pick up is what is “popular” at the time and I typically find myself wondering what the hype is all about).

One of my good friends mentioned a series to me that she loved that was outside of my typical readings and was kind enough to lend me the entire series.

Heaven is the harrowing story of Heaven Leigh Casteel (yes, her name is intentional and is explained in the first few chapters), the first of the Casteel series written by V.C. Andrews. If you’ve read Where the Crawdads Sing it has a similar starting premise (keep in mind Heaven was put to paper long before Crawdads) – with a drunken father who struggles to provide for his family, housed in a run-down cabin in the wilderness (the mountains in Heaven) and a mother who abandons her children. Now, that’s where the similarities between the two books ends.

Luke Casteel is not abusive towards his children and does what he can to provide for them. He is, however, abusive towards his wife (who is abusive right back) and wastes a lot of the family’s money on booze and women. Heaven learns that her mother is actually her step-mother, and that her birth mother died shortly after she was born. She also learns her father blames her for her birth mother’s death, which explains the indifference and occasional disdain he shows towards her. Her step-mother leaves abruptly one day, causing Heaven to step in and fill the role of mother to her 4 siblings, caretaker to her grandfather, cook, and housekeeper, all at the age of 14. One day, months after her step-mother has left, Luke Casteel returns home with an appalling plan that, once set in motion, separates all 5 of the children.

This book had me engaged from beginning to end. There’s no whodunit moment, no mystery to solve, not even a sweep-you-off-your-feet love story. The writing wasn’t the best I’ve encountered, and at times seemed a bit lazy with the use of dialogue to fill in holes in backstories throughout, yet I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters within the book.

Andrews does an excellent job writing about the relatable, the horrible, the hard, the difficult, the happens-all-too-often-but-no-one-talks-about-it. The characters were human and the journey the children are forced to take is heartbreaking and incredibly real. Heaven’s story is one that has you reflecting on your own life and appreciating what you have. It also has you hoping for the best outcome possible for the girl who never gives up hope that the world will finally break her way.

I’ve already started reading the second book, but I arrived at 3.5 stars for this first one after serious contemplation. The characters had me wavering between 4 and 5 stars, but the writing style irked me enough to drop it down to 3.5 stars. Please know that in all reality, this is a book I’d recommend to anyone looking to get sucked into a different life altogether.