The Echoes, Evie Wyld
Hannah lived in The Echoes, hidden within the Australian outback. After escaping to London, the echoes of her childhood still haunt her, as does the ghost of her dead boyfriend.
This fascinating character exploration of the curious and troubled woman, Hannah, is written from three main perspectives:
After – The dead boyfriend, Max, watching her live on in their apartment.
Before – The build-up to Max’s death, written from Hannah’s perspective.
Then – A third-person perspective of Hannah’s secretive childhood.
Sprinkled along the way are independent chapters for another significant character at the time.
The structure of this novel had me questioning what story was being told here. But my worries were soon squandered as Wyld began to paint a beautiful and tragic picture of a troubled family and one girl’s desperate attempt to distance herself far away from the past.
Max was often left in the dark in regards to Hannah’s past. So when we read from his ghostly perspective, we get to see the Hannah that she herself wanted to become. Evie Wyld does an amazing job of writing as a ghost. It’s not gimmicky or cheesy; it instead works poignantly and creates a perfect melancholy that stays with you throughout the novel.
Hannah was a curious and innocent young girl who looked up to her beloved sister Rachel. As Rachel grows older and eventually finds herself in the centre of a family-shattering and traumatising incident, Hannah frequently finds herself to be a ghost in her own family home.
Her past and her present perform a perfect dance with one another throughout the entire novel. Slowly, each move falls into place and creates a mesmerising routine. This is character writing at its best. The person Hannah became, the reasons she left and distanced herself from her family, make so much sense. A perfect yet tragic puzzle.
In the Before, we see Hannah at what can only be assumed to be her happiest. She may have given up her dreams and not be in the ideal place that society demands a woman of her age to be, but she and Max have a beautifully real relationship. They argue. Sometimes it’s stupid and sometimes it’s serious; however, their love is clear and it’s written with grace. This is how you write a relationship.
The Echoes is atmospheric and mysterious. Hannah is the story, and Max helped her become the brilliant and strong woman we learn her to be. She did not have an easy childhood, nor did many members of her family, but she lived on as one must. That’s brave and that’s beautiful.
In a story about a ghost, secrets, and family history, it’s the tale of Max and Hannah’s love that you’ll keep in your heart and protect as long as you can. Evie Wyld achieved so much in just over 200 pages. What an incredible novel.
The Pear Book 