Teres's Reviews > The Unmaking of June Farrow

No secret: I enjoy the genre of magical realism. The fact that I read two novels virtually back-to-back whose plots rely on the magic of time travel is a fluke. One, not done so well (hangs head in shame on behalf of beloved author Alice Hoffman) and one, done to perfection — hello, The Unmaking of June Farrow by Adrienne Young.

Our eponymous protagonist is 34 and lives in the small mountain town of Jasper, North Carolina.

The Farrow women are well known for the exquisite flowers they cultivate and sell on their farm and a curse that has haunted them for generations.

Uh oh, as the novel opens, June is starting to experience the family affliction — visual and auditory hallucinations, forgetfulness, erratic behavior — what she believes is a mental illness that plagued both her mother and grandmother before her.

As June starts unraveling the mystery that surrounds the Farrow women, the more her mind starts to unravel as well. She is terrified of her own descent into madness as the corners of her world start to slip and fray.

Drawn toward a red door that appears out of thin air, June crosses a threshold that changes not only her present, but her past and future, too. 

Yee haw, let the fun begin! Murder, mystery, and magic aplenty.

Put your thinking caps on folks: this one contains multiple timelines and plot threads, including a mind-bending alternate timeline twist. Pay close attention as each piece of the Farrow family’s dark legacy adds to the puzzle.

It takes an accomplished writer to make such a complex story flow so seamlessly and feel so possible at the same time. Hats off to you, Adrienne Young.

This is an example of immersive storytelling at its finest with layered and complex characters who love fiercely and whose loyalty transcends time.

While June begins the story with her mind slowly unravelling, this is truly a tale of a woman putting the pieces of her fractured life back together again.

The Unmaking of June Farrow is a clever and beautiful novel about the choices we make and what we’re willing to do for those we love.