Review: The Accident Season – Moira Fowley-Doyle

Hello lovelies! Just wanted to mention that I finally handed in my honours thesis last week – which is why I’ve been somewhat absent these past few weeks. Hopefully back to more regular posting from now on – and, of course, catching up on some wonderful reading!

the accident seasonIt’s the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.

The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara’s life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara’s family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items – but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.

But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

Rating: 4/5

I really adored this novel. I love the weird books, the ones infused with magical realism and a little darkness, the ones where you don’t always quite know what’s going on, but you trust the author to get you where you need to be.

So let’s raise our glass to the accident season,
To the river beneath us where we sink our souls,
To the bruises and secrets, to the ghosts in the ceiling,
One more drink for the watery road.

The book is set Ireland, which makes for a nice change from the standard American location, and centres on a rather unusual family – in that for the month of October, every year, they are subject to physical accidents that have lead to tragic deaths of some family members in the past. Cara, her sister Alice, their-ex stepbrother Sam and their mom navigate the Accident Season – which is what they’ve dubbed this dubious family curse – with heightened senses and precautions which include wearing multiple layers of clothing and avoiding sharp objects.

The Accident Season covers a number of mysteries – the most obvious being their tendency for devastating injuries, but also the mystery of a girl, Elsie, who has somehow managed to appear in all of her photographs in some way or another, a girl who no one can remember from school – as well as hidden secrets of their childhood.

The book is heavily descriptive, but in a way I very much enjoyed – especially when it came to portraying the ghostly atmosphere that pervades the entire novel. I adored the characters as well, even if they sometimes came across as intangible as the ghosts of their past, ready to drift on by with a gust of sudden wind. Cara, Alice, Sam and Cara’s best friend Bea form a tight-knit group that rallies together despite the secrets that each of them are keeping from the others.

Some people might have an issue with the romance – while the main couple are not technically related by blood, they did grow up together in the same family, at least in their early teenage years, and some people may find this a bit icky. Personally, it didn’t bother me – I thought they were pretty great together – I really loved the foundation of friendship that they had.

Overall, the kind of book that is right up my alley. Looking so forward to the author’s next offering. Whimsical, a little ghostly, with some fabulous friendships and family connections, along with a healthy dose of feels – grief, joy, betrayal and love.

8 thoughts on “Review: The Accident Season – Moira Fowley-Doyle

  1. I’m glad you enjoyed this one. Weird novels are an acquired taste, so I don’t know if this would work as well with me as it did with you. I’ll give it a chance someday, I hope. :)

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    1. Haha, they are indeed an acquired taste. But yeah, its a good recommendation if you’re looking for something a little different than your standard YA contemporary.

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  2. I really liked this one too! It was totally different than what I normally read, and I think that’s why it was so fun to me! I’d definitely like to find more books like this. I didn’t mind the relationship either. I thought it was so sweet. Glad you loved this one too! Great review!

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  3. I really enjoyed this one too! I love odd books, but magical realism isn’t always for me. Still, I thought this was really lovely and haunting.
    Jen @ YA Romantics

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  4. I’m glad you enjoyed this one. It wasn’t for me. I felt like there was a lot of mystery and suspense, but the characters and overall plot just kind of fell flat to me. A lot of people really seem to enjoy this though!

    Also, CONGRATS on your thesis!

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    1. Ah, thank you so much! It’s a massive weight off my shoulders, ha. Sorry this book didn’t work for you – it seemed like the type that some would love and some would loathe!

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