This one started out slow, and I didn’t initially connect to the characters, but I kept going with it, and just before the halfway mark, it clicked and I ended up really enjoying it.
Eva has the power (curse?) to be able to feel the emotions people leave imprinted on inanimate objects, just like her father did. She’s never met anyone else who has the same ability until Harriet finds her. Harriet also has the power — although weaker than Eva’s — which is why she needs Eva’s help to curate her collection (hoard?) of items into a museum of memory. But Eva has never been able to cope around other people’s belongings.
I’m still not sure what Harriet’s real motivation was outside of just collecting more items (or maybe the hoarding was her true motivation,) or why she latched on so tightly to Eva. It was a lot more clear that Eva lived how she did out of guilt and fear, especially from her mother’s death, which left her and her younger sister foster children until they aged out. (This is not a spoiler.) As the story went on, I felt really bad for Eva, especially as it became clear how terribly her sister treated her for the most part, even though she couldn’t see it for herself.
Honestly, these characters were strange and the book was strange, but the premise was intriguing, and once I warmed up to it, I wanted to see what would happen, and I even think I’m okay with how it ended. If you like this genre, I’d say give it a read.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for my honest review. It did not influence my opinion.