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What Could Be Saved
An enthralling, redemptive novel set in Bangkok in 1972 and Washington, DC, in 2019 about an expatriate child who goes missing, whose family is contacted decades later by a man claiming to be the vanished boy.
Washington, DC, 2019: Laura Preston is a reclusive artist at odds with her older sister Bea as their elegant, formidable mother slowly slides into dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother who disappeared forty years earlier when the family lived in Bangkok, Laura ignores Bea’s warnings of a scam and flies to Thailand to see if it can be true. But meeting him in person leads to more questions than answers.
Bangkok, 1972: Genevieve and Robert Preston live in a beautiful house behind a high wall, raising their three children with the help of a cadre of servants. In these exotic surroundings, Genevieve strives to create a semblance of the life they would have had at home in the US—ballet and riding classes for the children, impeccable dinner parties, a meticulously kept home. But in truth, Robert works for American intelligence, Genevieve finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with her husband’s boss, and their serene household is vulnerable to unseen dangers of a rapidly changing world and a country they don’t really understand.
Alternating between past and present as all of the secrets are revealed, What Could Be Saved is an unforgettable novel about a family shattered by loss and betrayal, and the beauty and hope that can exist even in the midst of brokenness.
Washington, DC, 2019: Laura Preston is a reclusive artist at odds with her older sister Bea as their elegant, formidable mother slowly slides into dementia. When a stranger contacts Laura claiming to be her brother who disappeared forty years earlier when the family lived in Bangkok, Laura ignores Bea’s warnings of a scam and flies to Thailand to see if it can be true. But meeting him in person leads to more questions than answers.
Bangkok, 1972: Genevieve and Robert Preston live in a beautiful house behind a high wall, raising their three children with the help of a cadre of servants. In these exotic surroundings, Genevieve strives to create a semblance of the life they would have had at home in the US—ballet and riding classes for the children, impeccable dinner parties, a meticulously kept home. But in truth, Robert works for American intelligence, Genevieve finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with her husband’s boss, and their serene household is vulnerable to unseen dangers of a rapidly changing world and a country they don’t really understand.
Alternating between past and present as all of the secrets are revealed, What Could Be Saved is an unforgettable novel about a family shattered by loss and betrayal, and the beauty and hope that can exist even in the midst of brokenness.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 12, 2021
1,038 people are currently reading
25.8k people want to read
About the author
Liese O'Halloran Schwarz
3 books369 followersLiese O'Halloran Schwarz grew up in Washington, DC after an early childhood overseas. She went to Harvard and then attended medical school at University of Virginia. While in medical school, she won the Henfield/Transatlantic Review Prize for short fiction and also published her first novel, Near Canaan. She specialized in emergency medicine.
Eventually she returned to writing and her second novel, The Possible World, was published June 2018. Her third novel What Could be Saved published in January 2021.
She currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is at work on the next book.
Eventually she returned to writing and her second novel, The Possible World, was published June 2018. Her third novel What Could be Saved published in January 2021.
She currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and is at work on the next book.
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December 26, 2021
Intricate, poignant, and completely captivating, What Could Be Saved knocked me over and left me wanting more.
Laura Preston is a struggling artist living in Washington DC when, out of the blue, she's contacted by a stranger claiming to be her missing brother Philip. He had vanished without a trace four decades ago when the family lived in Bangkok in 1972. Since then, Laura, her sister Beatrice, and their mother have forged a complicated relationship, none of them quite able to come to terms with the loss of Philip. Told in dual timelines, we follow the family through their loss in 1972 and again now in the present as they hope for healing and a second chance.
Gosh, this story just grabbed me and refused to let go. Reading it felt like being transported to a different life and time and location. Initially, it took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did, I was fully immersed. It's one of those reading experiences where the story feels so vivid and alive, my real life became pale in comparison. Every moment I wasn't reading, I was thinking about it and looking forward to the next time I could pick it up again.
It's hard for me to describe what this story is about because it's about so many things. It's a character study, with each person chasing their own dreams, living out their lives as best as they can. They each have flaws, and the flaws make them complex and interesting. It's also a story about sibling and familial bonds, which can stretch and decay, but can also strengthen and become resilient. It's a story of hard choices and redemption and facing one's own demons.
With dual timelines, I'm always a bit wary that one of them will be less interesting than the other. But in this story, both were equally compelling and important. It helps that we don't switch back and forth constantly, but rather, each storyline is given ample time and space to come to fruition.
This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. Now that I'm done, I don't feel like I'm ready to leave this world and this family that Liese O'Halloran Schwarz has so expertly crafted. I just want to start over on page one and savor it all over again. This is my first book by Schwarz, and it definitely won't be my last.
My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.
Laura Preston is a struggling artist living in Washington DC when, out of the blue, she's contacted by a stranger claiming to be her missing brother Philip. He had vanished without a trace four decades ago when the family lived in Bangkok in 1972. Since then, Laura, her sister Beatrice, and their mother have forged a complicated relationship, none of them quite able to come to terms with the loss of Philip. Told in dual timelines, we follow the family through their loss in 1972 and again now in the present as they hope for healing and a second chance.
Gosh, this story just grabbed me and refused to let go. Reading it felt like being transported to a different life and time and location. Initially, it took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I did, I was fully immersed. It's one of those reading experiences where the story feels so vivid and alive, my real life became pale in comparison. Every moment I wasn't reading, I was thinking about it and looking forward to the next time I could pick it up again.
It's hard for me to describe what this story is about because it's about so many things. It's a character study, with each person chasing their own dreams, living out their lives as best as they can. They each have flaws, and the flaws make them complex and interesting. It's also a story about sibling and familial bonds, which can stretch and decay, but can also strengthen and become resilient. It's a story of hard choices and redemption and facing one's own demons.
With dual timelines, I'm always a bit wary that one of them will be less interesting than the other. But in this story, both were equally compelling and important. It helps that we don't switch back and forth constantly, but rather, each storyline is given ample time and space to come to fruition.
This is a story that will stay with me for a long time. Now that I'm done, I don't feel like I'm ready to leave this world and this family that Liese O'Halloran Schwarz has so expertly crafted. I just want to start over on page one and savor it all over again. This is my first book by Schwarz, and it definitely won't be my last.
My heartfelt thanks for the copy that was provided for my honest and unbiased review.
February 22, 2021
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
This is a new author for me and I was impressed!!!!
This novel is written in a dual timeline as described in the blurb. We are reading back and forth from the family’s time living in Bangkok in 1972 and the present time of 2019 in Washington DC.
First timeline we meet the Prestons in Washington D.C. in 2019. Phillip has been missing for over 40 years. Laura is an artist who is struggling to concentrate on her work. Her agent, Sullivan, is trying to get her to focus on something new, but she states she is caught in a whirlpool, “of the things I half remember, the things I never understood. I think I always kept a little hope that someday Mum would explain at least some of it.”
Bea is married with twin teenage boys and she and Laura often don’t get along. Their mother, Genevieve, seems to be slowly sliding into mental decline. She spent many years going back and forth to Asia to try to find Phillip.
Laura is contacted by someone who claims to have their brother Phillip. They do a Skype call and that is all that Laura needs to know it’s her brother. She flies to Bangkok and after spending some time with Phillip, brings him home. Bea has been discouraging from the beginning but Laura is not deterred.
In the timeline of Bangkkok 1972, we meet the Prestons living in Bangkok for their 4th year of what was supposed to be a one year assignment. Genevieve Preston has grown tired of the wait to return home. They have a beautiful home and three children, Bea, Phillip and Laura. From the blurb you know that Robert is working for American intelligence. Genevieve spends her time planning the children’s schedules for the day, hosting non stop parties and attending parties. She is part of the American expatriate group living behind high walls, set apart from the rest of the city. They have lots of servants and Genevieve is fine with their driver taking the children to and from school, ballet, etc. She is quite removed from them here. They feel as though they are safe but they don’t really understand the country that they are living in, the dark underbelly of the city. How the culture is very different than in America. They will learn the hard way in the loss of a child!!!!
These timelines flow together beautifully. There are so many emotions in this book it’s hard to express how much it touched me. I could feel the terrible alarm of a missing child and the anguish that accompanied his loss.
Can a family really ever heal after such a trauma?? “What Could Be Saved” of this family? How has each daughter struggled with their loss? Their father was never the same and there are secrets, so many secrets which are finally all revealed in the great ending of this book.
It is an eye opening book about drugs, alcohol, sex trafficing and vengence. There is also so much love and desire to heal the family, to become whole again, though in a completely different way.
To divulge anymore would ruin the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was a page turner and tugged at my heart. The characters are well developed and there are times I disliked many of them and other times when my heart hurt for them.
I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a character driven mystery/family drama that is beautifully well written. The descriptions of Thailand were so immersive!!
This was a great read with DeAnn who also loved it😊
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
This is a new author for me and I was impressed!!!!
This novel is written in a dual timeline as described in the blurb. We are reading back and forth from the family’s time living in Bangkok in 1972 and the present time of 2019 in Washington DC.
First timeline we meet the Prestons in Washington D.C. in 2019. Phillip has been missing for over 40 years. Laura is an artist who is struggling to concentrate on her work. Her agent, Sullivan, is trying to get her to focus on something new, but she states she is caught in a whirlpool, “of the things I half remember, the things I never understood. I think I always kept a little hope that someday Mum would explain at least some of it.”
Bea is married with twin teenage boys and she and Laura often don’t get along. Their mother, Genevieve, seems to be slowly sliding into mental decline. She spent many years going back and forth to Asia to try to find Phillip.
Laura is contacted by someone who claims to have their brother Phillip. They do a Skype call and that is all that Laura needs to know it’s her brother. She flies to Bangkok and after spending some time with Phillip, brings him home. Bea has been discouraging from the beginning but Laura is not deterred.
In the timeline of Bangkkok 1972, we meet the Prestons living in Bangkok for their 4th year of what was supposed to be a one year assignment. Genevieve Preston has grown tired of the wait to return home. They have a beautiful home and three children, Bea, Phillip and Laura. From the blurb you know that Robert is working for American intelligence. Genevieve spends her time planning the children’s schedules for the day, hosting non stop parties and attending parties. She is part of the American expatriate group living behind high walls, set apart from the rest of the city. They have lots of servants and Genevieve is fine with their driver taking the children to and from school, ballet, etc. She is quite removed from them here. They feel as though they are safe but they don’t really understand the country that they are living in, the dark underbelly of the city. How the culture is very different than in America. They will learn the hard way in the loss of a child!!!!
These timelines flow together beautifully. There are so many emotions in this book it’s hard to express how much it touched me. I could feel the terrible alarm of a missing child and the anguish that accompanied his loss.
Can a family really ever heal after such a trauma?? “What Could Be Saved” of this family? How has each daughter struggled with their loss? Their father was never the same and there are secrets, so many secrets which are finally all revealed in the great ending of this book.
It is an eye opening book about drugs, alcohol, sex trafficing and vengence. There is also so much love and desire to heal the family, to become whole again, though in a completely different way.
To divulge anymore would ruin the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was a page turner and tugged at my heart. The characters are well developed and there are times I disliked many of them and other times when my heart hurt for them.
I recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a character driven mystery/family drama that is beautifully well written. The descriptions of Thailand were so immersive!!
This was a great read with DeAnn who also loved it😊
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
September 16, 2021
“We’re less a ‘read between the lines’ family and more a ‘hallucinate something onto this blank sheet of paper’ family.”1972. The Prestons had lived for several years in Bangkok. The Viet Nam war was raging one country over. Robert was supposedly working for a private company on a dam project that was taking forever. Ummmm, not really. He was working for US intelligence re that nearby conflict. Genevieve was a hostess with the mostess, (She was beautiful, really perfect. A wife for other men to envy.) having earned a well-deserved reputation for entertaining impressively in their large residence. Beatrice was the oldest, responsible, looked after her younger sibs. Laura is a good kid, although she feels beset by Bea taking advantage of her sometimes, bossing her around. It is clear early on that she has an artistic gift. Phillip is the youngest. Studious. Not an athlete. Gets bullied at school.
…how often he felt an onlooker in the company of other men, outside their easy bawdiness and filthy banter. Robert’s otherness had made school, that welter of vicious adolescent boys, a misery before athletics had rescued him, and it bred in his adulthood a certain isolation—men didn’t invite him along when they went to seedy places, or tell him about their adventures there.Robert sees the same otherness in Phillip, so decides to put him into a judo class to toughen him up, maybe give him better tools for defending himself against bigger kids, make him better able than his father to fit in with the males around him. But then, one day, neither parent shows up to bring him home from judo class, and Phillip vanishes.
Liese O’Halloran Schwartz - image from her site
2019. Laura Preston, now a professional painter, is contacted by a stranger in Thailand, claiming to be looking for relations of one Phillip Preston. There had been hoax attempts before. Bea, still the bossy one, discourages Laura from pursuing this, but, after seeing the man briefly, on screen, she has a feeling, and dashes off to Bangkok. Could this really be her, their, long-lost brother? Or was it a scam? But if it was him, then where had he been all these years? What had happened to him? Why was he emerging now? Why didn’t he get in touch sooner?
The novel is set in (mostly) two times, 1972, when the disappearance occurs and 2019, when this possible Phillip appears. It is told, mostly, from Laura’s perspective. Noi, a young Thai woman who worked for the family in 1972, when she was 15, and who still works for Genevieve in Washington DC, tells some of the story, and the man purporting to be Phillip tells his tale at the end.
Schwartz takes us behind the scenes filling in what was going on with Robert and Genevieve at the time. Not exactly the happiest marriage. Gen was having an affair with Robert’s boss. He was finding comfort in the company of a young Thai woman trapped in a demeaning job.
Noi is witness to sundry dodginess on the part of the Preston household staff, and gets entangled with a man who is up to no good. Her boss is a bit of a dragon lady.
The family returns to the states, although they continue to search for Phillip for quite some time.
Schwartz shows us the relationships the characters have with each other. Robert with Genevieve, Genevieve with her lover, Robert with his young companion, Noi with Daeng, her boss in Thailand, Noi with Genevieve, the children, and her nogoodnik boyfriend. Laura’s relationship with Bea is given a lot of attention, and holds some surprises. And we see Laura’s relationship with her long-term boyfriend as an adult. What is, and has been missing is their relationship with Phillip, ever since he disappeared. How can you relate to a mystery? Even if this guy turns out to be Phillip can a few years of childhood build enough of a foundation, create enough of a core, that one could step back in and feel the same connection?
“Why do we never, ever tell the truth to each other? Why do we keep so many secrets?”Who doesn’t have secrets? Usually they are small, but sometimes they can be huge. Secrets abound here. Robert’s work is, of course, all about secrets. Genevieve must keep her affair under cover. Bea keeps secrets from Laura, both as a child and as an adult. The children keep secrets from their mother. Laura as an adult is charged with keeping a very large secret that both her parents had kept for a long time. There is even an explanation of a Thai phrase that means someone’s secret was safe. Noi also totes a major secret for decades. The novel looks at the reasons why people keep secrets, which are complex, and diverse, and how secrecy impacts not just one-to-one relationships, but family and community bonds.
This is a pretty much straight ahead novel, but there is a bit of magical realism in Noi’s time working in the Preston household, as she is visited by a welcome presence.
In addition to the adventure of the story, the mystery, you may pick up a few nuggets of wisdom, such as the proper etiquette for checking for snakes in the toilet, and why it is important for women never to admit that they know how to make coffee. Also, I was hugely impressed by how Schwartz portrays dementia, offering a brilliant, yet very understandable image of how one might experience the loosening of ties to time and memory.
One of the best elements of What Could Be Saved is that there are large questions that you will want answers to, and you will keep turning the pages hoping to get there. In a 2018 interview, Schwartz was asked about building suspense in a novel.
That’s such a challenge; it is so difficult to know, as the writer, how a story unfolds to the eyes of a fresh reader. Suspense is not just whodunit, of course! It can be super subtle. It’s the element that keeps the reader interested and engaged, wanting to know what happens next. I remember something I heard from an NPR interview with a TV writer: the writer said, when discussing how to write a successful pilot: “Don’t explain ANYTHING at first” and after hearing that, I reviewed some stories that I considered to be very engaging (written and film/TV), and realized that they did that: in the beginning they explained almost nothing, opened up a lot of questions and answered very few. It was really useful advice. My own corollary would be: “When you answer the questions you have raised: answer some soon, some slowly, and some in surprising ways—and always raise new questions as you go.” The “questions” can be tiny or big, some can be answered in the same paragraph in which they are raised, or on the same page, or not be answered until the very end of the story; they all work to keep the reader caring about what’s coming and wanting to read on. - from the 26.org interviewShe knows of what she speaks and has worked that approach deftly to keep us on tenterhooks as she peels back layer after layer, and leaves you thinking. Great, now I know why this, but then why that? And on you speed.
While I occasionally found the pace a bit slow, overall I would still categorize this as a page-turner. The major question of is-he-or-isn’t-he will keep you engaged, and the peeling back of the layers hiding the truth offers ongoing satisfaction, as well as a reason to keep reading. Laura is engaging, without being a goody-goody. Some characters undergo meaningful growth, and others are revealed to be more, or less, than they present to the world as their secrets are exposed.
They sat for a while longer, two sisters up far past their bedtime, the old house creaking and sighing around them, always in the process of settling, never completely at rest.
Review posted – 12/25/2020
Publication dates
----------1/12/2021 - hardcover
----------8/31/2021 - trade paperback
I received an ARE of this book from Atria in return for an honest review. It really is me who wrote this review, not someone pretending to be me. Of course that is just what a copycat would say.
=============================EXTRA STUFF
Links to the author’s personal, Twitter and FB pages
Interviews
-----26.org - The Possible World - re her second book
Item of Interest from the author
-----Metro - Books: All roads lead to the Rhode- a piece about Rhode Island, where the author did medical training, and the impact of the state’s history of offering sanctuary on her book The Possible World
October 16, 2021
Wow! I’m actually banging my head against thick wood to punish myself why it did too long for me to read this masterpiece!
This is one of those stories bleeds your soul and leaves deep wounds at your heart. So intense, so heartfelt, so angsty, pushing out your entire feelings, leaving you numb, speechless.
We’re moving back between different time zones, countries, cultures to learn more about Prestons and their deep family drama : why they turned into dysfunctional, estranged family who had hard time to openly communicate with each other, why they boiled up the resentment, guilt feeling for so long!
Everything started when they were family of three in Bangkok nearly 4 decades ago. But one of the family members: only son of the family gets missing and his mysterious disappearance stays like a dark cloud above the entire family’s heads : a heavy burden they have to carry through their entire life.
Two time zones: Bangkok in 1972 and Washington D. C. in 2019.
The story starts at present time, introducing us Laura, a struggling artist who cannot concentrate on her work, having problems with her agent, suffering from a missing element in her life: an unresolved tragedy. She still misses her brother Philip who has been missing over 40 years.
Laura has problematic relationship with her sister Bea, married, raising twin teenagers. Both of them doesn’t want to understand their life choices.
Their mother Genevieve has her own mental issues, keeps visiting Bangkok to find the trace of his missing son. She is still in denial process after all those years.
But a magical thing happens: Laura connects with a stranger who claims to be her lost missing brother. They made a Skype call and boom: she gets all the answers she needs: that’s her brother, entire family has been looking for and grieving for years and she’s so determined to fly to Bangkok to bring him back even though her sister Bea has second thoughts about her sudden decision.
We also learn more about family’s story when we move back to 1972’s Bangkok. The family has been staying there for 4 years whether the assignment of Robert who is working for American Intelligence may have lasted only one year. Genevieve is already frustrated and counting days to return back to the states.
They seems like having luxurious life style with lots of servants lurking around their place, a private chauffeur is designated to drive kids to the ballet lessons as Genevieve hosts special parties and focusing on children’s school schedules. But they still struggle to adapt in new culture which is so different from American lifestyle and after their child’s disappearance, the entire family members show their reactions, adjusting their loss with different coping mechanisms which eventually fail.
I love my time travels between different zones and cultures, observing the unique reactions and emotional fights of each family member. And the big secret reveals near the ending of the story which is so heartbreaking!
This is one of the mind blowing, extreme, soul crushing experiences I’ve recently had! An epic literature feast I devoured!
I’m giving my full, engaging, tear jerker, sentimental, family drama, multicultural five stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/ Washington Square Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
This is one of those stories bleeds your soul and leaves deep wounds at your heart. So intense, so heartfelt, so angsty, pushing out your entire feelings, leaving you numb, speechless.
We’re moving back between different time zones, countries, cultures to learn more about Prestons and their deep family drama : why they turned into dysfunctional, estranged family who had hard time to openly communicate with each other, why they boiled up the resentment, guilt feeling for so long!
Everything started when they were family of three in Bangkok nearly 4 decades ago. But one of the family members: only son of the family gets missing and his mysterious disappearance stays like a dark cloud above the entire family’s heads : a heavy burden they have to carry through their entire life.
Two time zones: Bangkok in 1972 and Washington D. C. in 2019.
The story starts at present time, introducing us Laura, a struggling artist who cannot concentrate on her work, having problems with her agent, suffering from a missing element in her life: an unresolved tragedy. She still misses her brother Philip who has been missing over 40 years.
Laura has problematic relationship with her sister Bea, married, raising twin teenagers. Both of them doesn’t want to understand their life choices.
Their mother Genevieve has her own mental issues, keeps visiting Bangkok to find the trace of his missing son. She is still in denial process after all those years.
But a magical thing happens: Laura connects with a stranger who claims to be her lost missing brother. They made a Skype call and boom: she gets all the answers she needs: that’s her brother, entire family has been looking for and grieving for years and she’s so determined to fly to Bangkok to bring him back even though her sister Bea has second thoughts about her sudden decision.
We also learn more about family’s story when we move back to 1972’s Bangkok. The family has been staying there for 4 years whether the assignment of Robert who is working for American Intelligence may have lasted only one year. Genevieve is already frustrated and counting days to return back to the states.
They seems like having luxurious life style with lots of servants lurking around their place, a private chauffeur is designated to drive kids to the ballet lessons as Genevieve hosts special parties and focusing on children’s school schedules. But they still struggle to adapt in new culture which is so different from American lifestyle and after their child’s disappearance, the entire family members show their reactions, adjusting their loss with different coping mechanisms which eventually fail.
I love my time travels between different zones and cultures, observing the unique reactions and emotional fights of each family member. And the big secret reveals near the ending of the story which is so heartbreaking!
This is one of the mind blowing, extreme, soul crushing experiences I’ve recently had! An epic literature feast I devoured!
I’m giving my full, engaging, tear jerker, sentimental, family drama, multicultural five stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books/ Washington Square Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Shelved as 'dnf'
February 17, 2021At first glance this had everything I love in a book, most specifically a character-driven saga. However, despite the excellent writing, I struggled and ultimately decided to set it aside. I couldn't maintain interest in the unlikable characters and the story didn't warrant nearly 500 pages. I skipped ahead to the ending and was satisfied with my decision to set it aside.
This was buddy read with Marialyce and we were both relieved to hear the other was ready to call it quits. This book is getting a lot of stellar reviews so please read those for a different opinion. My reading seems to be broken these days. Another time and I may have felt differently.
*I received a digital copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
This was buddy read with Marialyce and we were both relieved to hear the other was ready to call it quits. This book is getting a lot of stellar reviews so please read those for a different opinion. My reading seems to be broken these days. Another time and I may have felt differently.
*I received a digital copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
November 24, 2020
All it took was positive reviews from Jodi Picoult and Lisa See for this book and I was drawn in. Told in dual timelines, it tracks an ex-pat family in Bangkok in 1972 when the son goes missing and the same family in 2019 when they are contacted by someone claiming to have information about the son.
The book is well written. But as is often the case with a dual timeline, I found the historic story much more compelling than the present day. Schwarz does an excellent job of giving you a sense of time and place in 1972 Thailand. We see the insular ex-pat society, their superior airs (down to assigning the servants English names), the red light districts, the distrust on both sides.
The characters are not easy to connect with. Everyone has secrets and there are multiple betrayals. There are those who heal and those who never do. The family dynamics are caught in a time warp, with the sisters still struggling to relate to each other.
The book is not perfect. It could have been tightened up. It starts slow, but does finish strong.
My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
The book is well written. But as is often the case with a dual timeline, I found the historic story much more compelling than the present day. Schwarz does an excellent job of giving you a sense of time and place in 1972 Thailand. We see the insular ex-pat society, their superior airs (down to assigning the servants English names), the red light districts, the distrust on both sides.
The characters are not easy to connect with. Everyone has secrets and there are multiple betrayals. There are those who heal and those who never do. The family dynamics are caught in a time warp, with the sisters still struggling to relate to each other.
The book is not perfect. It could have been tightened up. It starts slow, but does finish strong.
My thanks to netgalley and Atria Books for an advance copy of this book.
November 9, 2020
3.5 rounded to 4 stars
This is my first book by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. It’s a very hard one for me to rate. There is clearly much to praise, but it really did not impress me as much as I would have liked.
First the good stuff. This author can write! Her prose is wonderful. Much of the story takes place in Thailand, and she brings the reader right into the streets of that country. I learned in the Acknowledgments that Ms. Schwarz began her life in Thailand, which certainly lends credence to her portrayal. I enjoyed learning about the culture there—always a plus when I read a book set in a different country. The story spans decades, another thing I like. Family sagas have become a genre I look forward to reading. The plot is intriguing. There is a mystery to unravel as well as the complicated dynamics amongst the characters. Overall the novel delivers a rich narrative.
Unfortunately, I never fell in love with any of the characters. There are several that I liked, but none I will likely remember for very long. This particular issue is important to me and the reason why the book loses a star in my eyes. It also gets off to a slow start. I realize the cast must have time to develop, but my lack of a favorite character made the slow burn harder for me to get through. Another demerit is that the narrative jumps around a lot in time and the changes are not clearly marked. Sometimes I was unsure as to even what decade we were in.
Overall, this is a very good novel that I suspect many will award 5 stars, but for the personal reasons stated above I have ranked it lower. Considering everything, I do think the book should make Ms. Schwarz proud, and therefore, I am rounding my 3.5 rating up to 4 stars. I do have her novel The Possible World on my TBR list, and l definitely plan to read it. I recommend What Could be Saved for fans of literary fiction, family sagas, and foreign settings.
Many thanks to Net Galley, Ms. Maudee Genao of Atria Books, and Ms. Schwarz for allowing me to read an ARC of the book. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
This is my first book by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz. It’s a very hard one for me to rate. There is clearly much to praise, but it really did not impress me as much as I would have liked.
First the good stuff. This author can write! Her prose is wonderful. Much of the story takes place in Thailand, and she brings the reader right into the streets of that country. I learned in the Acknowledgments that Ms. Schwarz began her life in Thailand, which certainly lends credence to her portrayal. I enjoyed learning about the culture there—always a plus when I read a book set in a different country. The story spans decades, another thing I like. Family sagas have become a genre I look forward to reading. The plot is intriguing. There is a mystery to unravel as well as the complicated dynamics amongst the characters. Overall the novel delivers a rich narrative.
Unfortunately, I never fell in love with any of the characters. There are several that I liked, but none I will likely remember for very long. This particular issue is important to me and the reason why the book loses a star in my eyes. It also gets off to a slow start. I realize the cast must have time to develop, but my lack of a favorite character made the slow burn harder for me to get through. Another demerit is that the narrative jumps around a lot in time and the changes are not clearly marked. Sometimes I was unsure as to even what decade we were in.
Overall, this is a very good novel that I suspect many will award 5 stars, but for the personal reasons stated above I have ranked it lower. Considering everything, I do think the book should make Ms. Schwarz proud, and therefore, I am rounding my 3.5 rating up to 4 stars. I do have her novel The Possible World on my TBR list, and l definitely plan to read it. I recommend What Could be Saved for fans of literary fiction, family sagas, and foreign settings.
Many thanks to Net Galley, Ms. Maudee Genao of Atria Books, and Ms. Schwarz for allowing me to read an ARC of the book. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
January 3, 2021
Ten stars. Simple Incredible.
If you're lucky, you get a handful of books a year where absolutely everything aligns. I finished this book on Christmas Day (about a week and a half ago) and I still am in awe of what I read. As I turned the last page, I sat in stunned silence. The writing, the story, the characters, THAT ENDING...were simply magnificent. There is not one thing I can think of that I would change about this book. It is truly one of the most special reading experiences I ever had...and certainly most recently.
Since I have finished, I have recommended this to every fiction, family saga, historical fiction book lover I know. So far, every single person has loved it just as much as me. It is PHENOMENAL.
If you are looking for a life changing story...this is it. Read it.
Thank you to Atria Books, Maudee Genao and Liese O’Halloran Schwartz for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
Review Date: 01/04/2021
Publication Date: 01/12/2021
If you're lucky, you get a handful of books a year where absolutely everything aligns. I finished this book on Christmas Day (about a week and a half ago) and I still am in awe of what I read. As I turned the last page, I sat in stunned silence. The writing, the story, the characters, THAT ENDING...were simply magnificent. There is not one thing I can think of that I would change about this book. It is truly one of the most special reading experiences I ever had...and certainly most recently.
Since I have finished, I have recommended this to every fiction, family saga, historical fiction book lover I know. So far, every single person has loved it just as much as me. It is PHENOMENAL.
If you are looking for a life changing story...this is it. Read it.
Thank you to Atria Books, Maudee Genao and Liese O’Halloran Schwartz for the opportunity to read and provide an honest review.
Review Date: 01/04/2021
Publication Date: 01/12/2021
February 11, 2021
The beginning:
.....slow as could be!!!!
Long drawn out bickering — between two sisters ( Laura and Bea)
and Laura’s uncertainty to marry her boyfriend,
of six years, or not. ( cheesy proposal) - but that was the ‘least’ of concerns in this novel.
The bickering dialogue about a surprise email which Laura receives from a long lost brother of forty years....goes on too long.
Just when I was about ready to toss in the towel from the mystery-tangling-teasing storytelling....
Thinking:
“‘What Could Be Saved’
could not get to the point”...
.....the dialogue felt like nails on a chalkboard — annoying...
it took an unexpected turn —
This novel suddenly got more interesting.
Yet... I also immediately knew where the story was going.
An American family goes to Bangkok, Thailand - expats - a supposedly adventurous year abroad opportunity for the entire Preston family.
Robert had a job offer in Thailand..... one that came with wealthy perks in a county that’s everything but.
The Preston couple Robert, and Genevieve, packed their bags and three young children: Bea, Philip, and Laura.
They left their Washington D.C. home, and flew to a county of unknowns.
The storytelling was definitely best when the Preston family was in Thailand, during the 1970’s.....a time when the country had a reputation for being a hotspot for child prostitution.
Yet....this novel teetered between being unevenly paced with its duel timelines -
or predictable.
I saw exploits of children coming down the pipes a mile away....
and in particular... the devastation of what Philip experienced... and the grief that his entire family endured for another forty years.
I appreciate how the author exposed the sinister side of Bangkok— hopefully a side that travelers won’t ever see...
but....
perhaps it’s been the impeachment trial competing for my attention...
but when I finished the last two chapters... I was glad to be done.
4 worthy stars....
Yet....personally....I was a little detached with my own emotional investment.
It’s a powerful story... with vivid images of Thailand ....
giving us a great historical mystery thriller perspective....
at the same time...
I’m happy to set the book down and move on.
.....slow as could be!!!!
Long drawn out bickering — between two sisters ( Laura and Bea)
and Laura’s uncertainty to marry her boyfriend,
of six years, or not. ( cheesy proposal) - but that was the ‘least’ of concerns in this novel.
The bickering dialogue about a surprise email which Laura receives from a long lost brother of forty years....goes on too long.
Just when I was about ready to toss in the towel from the mystery-tangling-teasing storytelling....
Thinking:
“‘What Could Be Saved’
could not get to the point”...
.....the dialogue felt like nails on a chalkboard — annoying...
it took an unexpected turn —
This novel suddenly got more interesting.
Yet... I also immediately knew where the story was going.
An American family goes to Bangkok, Thailand - expats - a supposedly adventurous year abroad opportunity for the entire Preston family.
Robert had a job offer in Thailand..... one that came with wealthy perks in a county that’s everything but.
The Preston couple Robert, and Genevieve, packed their bags and three young children: Bea, Philip, and Laura.
They left their Washington D.C. home, and flew to a county of unknowns.
The storytelling was definitely best when the Preston family was in Thailand, during the 1970’s.....a time when the country had a reputation for being a hotspot for child prostitution.
Yet....this novel teetered between being unevenly paced with its duel timelines -
or predictable.
I saw exploits of children coming down the pipes a mile away....
and in particular... the devastation of what Philip experienced... and the grief that his entire family endured for another forty years.
I appreciate how the author exposed the sinister side of Bangkok— hopefully a side that travelers won’t ever see...
but....
perhaps it’s been the impeachment trial competing for my attention...
but when I finished the last two chapters... I was glad to be done.
4 worthy stars....
Yet....personally....I was a little detached with my own emotional investment.
It’s a powerful story... with vivid images of Thailand ....
giving us a great historical mystery thriller perspective....
at the same time...
I’m happy to set the book down and move on.
January 26, 2021
A long-arc story that spans generations and countries and reveals piles of family secrets.
Despite its hefty 464-page length, I finished most of this family drama in a single day. The Preston family moved from Washington, DC to Bangkok during the Vietnam War. When they returned home several years later nothing was the same—not in their country and not in their family, because while in Thailand their eight-year-old son had been kidnapped and was now presumed dead. This story opens with that boy's sister opening an email, a message from Thailand saying, I think I have your brother. Will you come get him?
In dual timelines that span 47 years, the story probes the long-held secrets the Preston family members have been keeping, and their devastating consequences.
Despite its hefty 464-page length, I finished most of this family drama in a single day. The Preston family moved from Washington, DC to Bangkok during the Vietnam War. When they returned home several years later nothing was the same—not in their country and not in their family, because while in Thailand their eight-year-old son had been kidnapped and was now presumed dead. This story opens with that boy's sister opening an email, a message from Thailand saying, I think I have your brother. Will you come get him?
In dual timelines that span 47 years, the story probes the long-held secrets the Preston family members have been keeping, and their devastating consequences.
March 15, 2021
10 stars!
I’ve been talking about this book often the last couple months. What Could Be Saved is one of THE books I’ve most been looking forward to in 2021. I read The Possible World by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz in 2018 and knew right away she is my favorite kind of storyteller. Immersive, carefully constructed, and precise storytelling. Swipe to check out more pics.
What Could Be Saved is everything I hoped for and more. There is an intriguing mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat for nearly the entire book, and this is not meant to be a thriller. The mystery involves the disappearance of a young boy, and early in the book, decades later, we learn he may have been found by his family.
Set between Bangkok, Thailand and Washington, DC, and in the 1970s to the near present, this is a story of a family “lost” for different reasons. Robert and Genevieve Preston move to Thailand with their three young children for Robert’s work “building a dam.” It becomes apparent his work is entirely different when they are still there years later. One day, their son, Phillip, is late being picked up from a judo lesson and is never seen again. It’s tragic, and the family is left to pick up the pieces for all the years to come. But as I mentioned earlier, Phillip reappears. It is really him? And where has he been?
What Could Be Saved is a book I’d recommend for everyone. Family dynamics, secrets, lies, trauma, pain, healing, hope, an intricately detailed plot, and a compelling mystery; this one has it all. It’s everything I love in a book, and of course, I gave it a big hug at the end, and not because things were tied up in a neat bow. The conclusion of the book felt realistic and worth the investment I had in these complex characters and their lives. Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend!
I received a gifted copy but also bought my own finished copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I’ve been talking about this book often the last couple months. What Could Be Saved is one of THE books I’ve most been looking forward to in 2021. I read The Possible World by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz in 2018 and knew right away she is my favorite kind of storyteller. Immersive, carefully constructed, and precise storytelling. Swipe to check out more pics.
What Could Be Saved is everything I hoped for and more. There is an intriguing mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat for nearly the entire book, and this is not meant to be a thriller. The mystery involves the disappearance of a young boy, and early in the book, decades later, we learn he may have been found by his family.
Set between Bangkok, Thailand and Washington, DC, and in the 1970s to the near present, this is a story of a family “lost” for different reasons. Robert and Genevieve Preston move to Thailand with their three young children for Robert’s work “building a dam.” It becomes apparent his work is entirely different when they are still there years later. One day, their son, Phillip, is late being picked up from a judo lesson and is never seen again. It’s tragic, and the family is left to pick up the pieces for all the years to come. But as I mentioned earlier, Phillip reappears. It is really him? And where has he been?
What Could Be Saved is a book I’d recommend for everyone. Family dynamics, secrets, lies, trauma, pain, healing, hope, an intricately detailed plot, and a compelling mystery; this one has it all. It’s everything I love in a book, and of course, I gave it a big hug at the end, and not because things were tied up in a neat bow. The conclusion of the book felt realistic and worth the investment I had in these complex characters and their lives. Highly, highly, HIGHLY recommend!
I received a gifted copy but also bought my own finished copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
February 22, 2021
I was completely swept up in this family's lives from the first page to the last.
The dismissal of a driver sets in motion a series of overlapping events ending in the tragic disappearance of an eight-year-old boy whose whereabouts will remain unknown for forty-seven years.
9 Soi Nine – A large house in the centre of Bangkok, complete with swimming pool and garden enclosed by a high wall. For the past four years it's been home to an American family of five – Robert and Genevieve Preston and their three children, Beatrice (12), Philip (8), and Laura (7). Genevieve and her children lead a privileged chauffeured-driven life of parties, socializing, shopping trips, beauty parlours, hair salons, and ballet and judo lessons for the kids. And the running of the household is expertly managed by the Thai servants who cater to their every whim. Yet, Genevieve is dissatisfied with her life, is desperate to return to the States – her husband promised her they'd only be in Asia a year. And Robert has secrets of his own. His wife believes he's involved in a humanitarian project, building a dam in the north of Thailand but he's really there to gather American intelligence regarding the Vietnam War.
By the end of that long hot summer of 1972 their son will be gone without a trace.
What Could Be Saved saw me taking my time lingering and savouring. It's a slow satisfying burn and I admired every word of the beautiful prose. The heart-breaking story of a family torn apart by grief, loss, betrayal and their own secrets and shame, as well as the eternal bond that exists between siblings no matter how long they've been separated. There are plenty of twists and turns and shocks, and those final chapters left me reeling.
The plot followed two timeliness. 2019 sees Laura (now in her early fifties) receiving an email from a stranger saying she has a man with her claiming to be Philip Preston, Laura's missing-for-decades-brother. A subsequent Skype call to verify see's Laura traveling to Bangkok to investigate – a city she hasn't seen since she was seven-years-old. The 1972 plot thread follows the Preston family that fateful summer with multiple POV's including Genevieve, Robert, Laura, Philip, and Noi (a Thai servant girl who worked for the Preston). I liked that Liese O’Halloran Schwarz deliberately withheld the date and details surrounding Philip's disappearance as the most nail wracking and suspenseful part while reading the 1972 flashbacks was wondering when and where he was going to go missing. Almost as tense were the clever ways the author delayed the reveal of an adult Philip revealing what had happened to him the day he vanished and where he'd been for those subsequent years.
The Bangkok setting was unique, interesting and fascinating and contained the right balance of beautiful (the culture, architecture, art, food) and seedy (underage prostitution, servants treated no better than slaves, poverty and racism). There's some distressing content but the trance-like narration kept things from ever being too graphic or detailed. Not all the characters were likeable, but their POV's were never dull, and their pain was real and resonating. I will definitely be reading Liese O’Halloran Schwarz's first novel, The Possible World. I read on my kindle, but have since bought myself a physical copy to add to my collection.
The dismissal of a driver sets in motion a series of overlapping events ending in the tragic disappearance of an eight-year-old boy whose whereabouts will remain unknown for forty-seven years.
9 Soi Nine – A large house in the centre of Bangkok, complete with swimming pool and garden enclosed by a high wall. For the past four years it's been home to an American family of five – Robert and Genevieve Preston and their three children, Beatrice (12), Philip (8), and Laura (7). Genevieve and her children lead a privileged chauffeured-driven life of parties, socializing, shopping trips, beauty parlours, hair salons, and ballet and judo lessons for the kids. And the running of the household is expertly managed by the Thai servants who cater to their every whim. Yet, Genevieve is dissatisfied with her life, is desperate to return to the States – her husband promised her they'd only be in Asia a year. And Robert has secrets of his own. His wife believes he's involved in a humanitarian project, building a dam in the north of Thailand but he's really there to gather American intelligence regarding the Vietnam War.
By the end of that long hot summer of 1972 their son will be gone without a trace.
What Could Be Saved saw me taking my time lingering and savouring. It's a slow satisfying burn and I admired every word of the beautiful prose. The heart-breaking story of a family torn apart by grief, loss, betrayal and their own secrets and shame, as well as the eternal bond that exists between siblings no matter how long they've been separated. There are plenty of twists and turns and shocks, and those final chapters left me reeling.
The plot followed two timeliness. 2019 sees Laura (now in her early fifties) receiving an email from a stranger saying she has a man with her claiming to be Philip Preston, Laura's missing-for-decades-brother. A subsequent Skype call to verify see's Laura traveling to Bangkok to investigate – a city she hasn't seen since she was seven-years-old. The 1972 plot thread follows the Preston family that fateful summer with multiple POV's including Genevieve, Robert, Laura, Philip, and Noi (a Thai servant girl who worked for the Preston). I liked that Liese O’Halloran Schwarz deliberately withheld the date and details surrounding Philip's disappearance as the most nail wracking and suspenseful part while reading the 1972 flashbacks was wondering when and where he was going to go missing. Almost as tense were the clever ways the author delayed the reveal of an adult Philip revealing what had happened to him the day he vanished and where he'd been for those subsequent years.
The Bangkok setting was unique, interesting and fascinating and contained the right balance of beautiful (the culture, architecture, art, food) and seedy (underage prostitution, servants treated no better than slaves, poverty and racism). There's some distressing content but the trance-like narration kept things from ever being too graphic or detailed. Not all the characters were likeable, but their POV's were never dull, and their pain was real and resonating. I will definitely be reading Liese O’Halloran Schwarz's first novel, The Possible World. I read on my kindle, but have since bought myself a physical copy to add to my collection.
May 12, 2021
This beautifully written novel is an immersive tale of an American family living in Bangkok in 1972 when their young son Philip goes missing. After an extensive police search fails to find any trace of Philip, the family eventually returns to their home in Washington DC. For his parents Robert and Genevieve and sisters Laura and Beatrice, life will never be the same again.
In 2019, Laura, now an artist currently experiencing a creative block, receives a call to say her brother has been found. With her father dead and her mother suffering from dementia, Bea and Laura must decide what to do. After all the disappointment of previous false claims could this man really be Philip. And if so, where has he been for 47 years?
This is the story of a fractured family. Before Philip disappeared, they appeared to be the perfect expat family with Genevieve managing the household servants and hosting successful parties, while raising well behaved children. But Robert and Genevieve both have secrets they are keeping from each other that will ultimately impact on the family. After Philip's disappearance, Robert and Genevieve's marriage suffers, both are away from home a lot and Bea and Laura find themselves more alone than ever, while mourning their brother's loss. Older sister Bea will go on to have a happy marriage and raise twin sons, while Laura who was closest to Philip will have trouble committing to relationships and will decide not to have children. Towards the end of the book, she comes to a realisation about her life and her family:
"She'd been living so long with an illusion, that they'd been whole and happy once, a perfect family shattered by tragedy.
All her life mourning that loss. When instead they had been more like a kaleidoscope, falling randomly to make small areas of beauty, falling apart again with the next twist, into a new disorder and a new beauty. Perhaps everyone was that way, living out their lives in the clung clump of color in which they found themselves, never seeing the bigger picture and how it felt."
It's a lovely image of life and families - pieces of a kaleidoscope falling randomly to form momentary islands of beauty and happiness before springing apart to later reform once again. It's these islands that we remember most, particularly later in our lives while the fractured images in the kaleidoscope diminish in importance.
Philip's story is a heart-wrenching one and one that drew me into the novel. As a child he was small and bullied and it's hard to not feel for him when his father sends him to a 'judo' school which tuns out to be a martial arts school for tough Thai kids already skilled in street fighting. I have never been to Bangkok, but the descriptions of both the poor areas and the wealthy suburbs are very evocative that it's easy to get a picture of what life was like there in the 1970s for expats. The suspense builds gradually through the descriptions of the family then and now until the truth of what happened to Philip is discovered. 4.5★
In 2019, Laura, now an artist currently experiencing a creative block, receives a call to say her brother has been found. With her father dead and her mother suffering from dementia, Bea and Laura must decide what to do. After all the disappointment of previous false claims could this man really be Philip. And if so, where has he been for 47 years?
This is the story of a fractured family. Before Philip disappeared, they appeared to be the perfect expat family with Genevieve managing the household servants and hosting successful parties, while raising well behaved children. But Robert and Genevieve both have secrets they are keeping from each other that will ultimately impact on the family. After Philip's disappearance, Robert and Genevieve's marriage suffers, both are away from home a lot and Bea and Laura find themselves more alone than ever, while mourning their brother's loss. Older sister Bea will go on to have a happy marriage and raise twin sons, while Laura who was closest to Philip will have trouble committing to relationships and will decide not to have children. Towards the end of the book, she comes to a realisation about her life and her family:
"She'd been living so long with an illusion, that they'd been whole and happy once, a perfect family shattered by tragedy.
All her life mourning that loss. When instead they had been more like a kaleidoscope, falling randomly to make small areas of beauty, falling apart again with the next twist, into a new disorder and a new beauty. Perhaps everyone was that way, living out their lives in the clung clump of color in which they found themselves, never seeing the bigger picture and how it felt."
It's a lovely image of life and families - pieces of a kaleidoscope falling randomly to form momentary islands of beauty and happiness before springing apart to later reform once again. It's these islands that we remember most, particularly later in our lives while the fractured images in the kaleidoscope diminish in importance.
Philip's story is a heart-wrenching one and one that drew me into the novel. As a child he was small and bullied and it's hard to not feel for him when his father sends him to a 'judo' school which tuns out to be a martial arts school for tough Thai kids already skilled in street fighting. I have never been to Bangkok, but the descriptions of both the poor areas and the wealthy suburbs are very evocative that it's easy to get a picture of what life was like there in the 1970s for expats. The suspense builds gradually through the descriptions of the family then and now until the truth of what happened to Philip is discovered. 4.5★
January 12, 2021
4.5 family drama/sibling stars -- this one is now available!
This is my first read by this author and I was impressed with her writing style! This seemed long, but the pages flew by as I was immersed in the story and anxious to find out what really happened. Big chunks of this book are set in Thailand and I don’t think I’ve read many books with that setting.
Robert Preston takes his gorgeous wife Genevieve and their three children to Bangkok in the early 1970s so that he can work on building a dam. He says it will be just be for one year, so who could resist that adventure? The family is well cared for with a cadre of servants, a swimming pool, and all the pineapple they can eat. Things are not all paradise however, and a tragedy rocks the family to its core.
The book then alternates with a modern-day storyline and we flash back in time to get the full picture. Now the daughters are in their 50s and Genevieve is having memory issues. When a mystery from the past crops up, Laura heads to Bangkok to see if she can unravel all the family secrets and restore the family.
This one had a stunning conclusion, and I closed the book with a feeling of sadness and relief that things had turned out the way that they did. The author calls it a book about siblings and I definitely see that point, siblings don’t always get along, but strong bonds are formed. The characters are not always likeable in this one, but realistically flawed and this was a great family story.
This was a fun buddy read with Dorie!
Thank you to Atria Books for the copy of this one to read and review.
This is my first read by this author and I was impressed with her writing style! This seemed long, but the pages flew by as I was immersed in the story and anxious to find out what really happened. Big chunks of this book are set in Thailand and I don’t think I’ve read many books with that setting.
Robert Preston takes his gorgeous wife Genevieve and their three children to Bangkok in the early 1970s so that he can work on building a dam. He says it will be just be for one year, so who could resist that adventure? The family is well cared for with a cadre of servants, a swimming pool, and all the pineapple they can eat. Things are not all paradise however, and a tragedy rocks the family to its core.
The book then alternates with a modern-day storyline and we flash back in time to get the full picture. Now the daughters are in their 50s and Genevieve is having memory issues. When a mystery from the past crops up, Laura heads to Bangkok to see if she can unravel all the family secrets and restore the family.
This one had a stunning conclusion, and I closed the book with a feeling of sadness and relief that things had turned out the way that they did. The author calls it a book about siblings and I definitely see that point, siblings don’t always get along, but strong bonds are formed. The characters are not always likeable in this one, but realistically flawed and this was a great family story.
This was a fun buddy read with Dorie!
Thank you to Atria Books for the copy of this one to read and review.
January 12, 2021
This story alternates in time and place, from 2019 in Washington, DC and Bangkok, Thailand in the 1970s. A story of a family, a mystery - but more than that, it is a story of how the past might return to haunt us.
In Bangkok, they were a family of five, Laura and Bea, their brother Philip, and their parents Genevieve and Robert Preston. Living in a grandiose home hidden behind walls, and catered to by servants, they socialized for the most part with others like them. Americans bringing their American ways to foreign lands, hoping to maintain their way of life, for themselves, and their children. And, for the most part, they are successful. Until one day when Philip doesn’t return from his judo class, and a search for him reveals no trace, no trails to follow. Eventually, they return to the U.S.
In America, it is 2019, Laura is an artist in her mid-50’s who receives a message that someone has been trying to reach her. Someone calling about her brother, claiming that they have found Philip. Laura contacts Beatrice to share the news, but Beatrice immediately dismisses this as a hoax, wants nothing to do with it despite some personal information the caller shared. Laura, feeling somehow this will finally reunite their family, flies to Bangkok feeling that she must know the truth, either way.
This story builds slowly then escalates to a tightly wound, distressing and disturbing story about the haunting and destructive ways truths withheld may return to haunt the present, the lengths we are willing to go to for another. All the while, a mystery is unraveling slowly and subtly until an astounding ending.
Published: 12 Jan 2021
Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books
Shelved as 'dnf'
January 19, 2021Unfortunately, this book and I could not foster a connection. While the concept of the story was intriguing, I just found the story too long and did not like any of the characters.
Sometime, in the future, I might pick it up again, since I have seen so many favorable reviews about the story.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.
My book buddy, Jan and I had the same reaction.
Sometime, in the future, I might pick it up again, since I have seen so many favorable reviews about the story.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this story.
My book buddy, Jan and I had the same reaction.
November 29, 2020
What an amazing book! Wow! Impressive! I had never read anything by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz before but she will be on my radar from now on. I was lucky enough to have won a copy of What Could Be Saved in a goodreads give away and was intrigued immediately by the dual time line and the premises for this book. I have always enjoyed reading books that were centered around a family and their secrets. What Could Be Saved was one of those books. As soon as I started reading this book I was drawn into the plot and looked forward to getting to know the characters in this book. I felt an instant connection with the characters and felt that they were well developed. The chapters alternated between 2019 (present day) and several years during the 1970’s. Every family had their secrets and in What Could Be Saved the secrets of the Preston family were revealed slowly throughout the course of the book with some twists and reason for speculation.
The Preston family presented itself to the outside world as a family that enjoyed the benefits of a warm, involved and predictable environment. Genevieve and Robert Preston were living the American dream. They married young and had all three children fairly quickly. Bea was the oldest, followed by Philip and Laura completed their happy family. Laura and Philip were close in age and therefore shared a special relationship. The family was living in an established neighborhood in a comfortable Tudor home in the Washington D.C. area. Robert had a good job with lots of room for advancement. Then one day, Robert was presented with an opportunity that he found hard to pass up. He was offered the chance to go to Bangkok and work in American intelligence. It was supposed to be a one year commitment but the years stretched into four long years with no end in sight. The life the family had known would be shattered over the course of one random afternoon in 1972. Both Genevieve and Robert had both become so wrapped up in their own lives, secrets and betrayals presented during their day to day lives in Bangkok. Their family would suffer unimaginable consequences as a result. Philip had never come home after his judo lesson. Philip was discovered missing and his disappearance would impact all the Preston’s lives for years to come even as they return to Washington D.C. The Prestons left Bangkok regretting they had never found Philip. Each family member had their own memories of Philip. Philip’s name was rarely mentioned again, though, after they returned to their previous life in Washington D.C.
It is now 2019, forty years after Philip had disappeared. Laura was struggling with her life, both as an artist and with her personal life. She was an artist that was struggling to regain her talent she once possessed. Laura had married young for all the wrong reasons and it had ended in divorce. It was hard for her to make commitments now. Although she had a good relationship with Edward, she found it hard to commit. Her older sister Bea and Laura were constantly bickering and at odds with each other. Bea had married and had a good marriage and had teen twin sons. Their once involved, social and elegant mother, Genevieve, had recently been diagnosed with dementia and Robert, their father, had died. One afternoon, her agent, Sullivan, showed up at her Washington home studio under the premise that someone had tried to contact Laura at the Washington Gallery three different times and claimed it had something to do with her brother. The e-mail read, “ I believe I have found your brother Philip. Are you Laura Preston born on 25 March 1965 to Robert and Genevieve Preston? If so, please reply. If you are not the correct Laura Preston, I am sorry for deranging you. Thank you. Claude Bossert.” Laura read the e-mail to her sister, Bea, but Bea being Bea, she was quite skeptical. Bea warned Laura that it might be a scam looking to get money. Laura ended up making arrangements to fly to Bangkok to see for herself if this person could be her brother Philip. What does Laura discover? Is the stranger her brother who disappeared over forty years ago?
What Could Be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz was a thrilling mystery set in a dual time line. It encompassed the themes of family, sibling rivalry, trust, marriageable affairs, sex trafficking, drug abuse, bullying and secrets. It was a well written book during a pivotal time in our country’s history. The roles women lead during the 1970’s were well defined and presented many limitations especially in Bangkok. The descriptions of Bangkok and the Thai people in What Could Be Saved were insightful. Liese O’Halloran Schwarz was able to depict and bring to life the unseen dangers expatriates faced in a country they had little understanding of. The author, expertly revealed all the secrets this family had hidden over the past four decades. Her character development was brilliant as was the plot for this fabulous book. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I highly recommend What Could Be Saved. Publication for What Could Be Saved is expected for January 12, 2021.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy of What Could Be Saved through goodreads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The Preston family presented itself to the outside world as a family that enjoyed the benefits of a warm, involved and predictable environment. Genevieve and Robert Preston were living the American dream. They married young and had all three children fairly quickly. Bea was the oldest, followed by Philip and Laura completed their happy family. Laura and Philip were close in age and therefore shared a special relationship. The family was living in an established neighborhood in a comfortable Tudor home in the Washington D.C. area. Robert had a good job with lots of room for advancement. Then one day, Robert was presented with an opportunity that he found hard to pass up. He was offered the chance to go to Bangkok and work in American intelligence. It was supposed to be a one year commitment but the years stretched into four long years with no end in sight. The life the family had known would be shattered over the course of one random afternoon in 1972. Both Genevieve and Robert had both become so wrapped up in their own lives, secrets and betrayals presented during their day to day lives in Bangkok. Their family would suffer unimaginable consequences as a result. Philip had never come home after his judo lesson. Philip was discovered missing and his disappearance would impact all the Preston’s lives for years to come even as they return to Washington D.C. The Prestons left Bangkok regretting they had never found Philip. Each family member had their own memories of Philip. Philip’s name was rarely mentioned again, though, after they returned to their previous life in Washington D.C.
It is now 2019, forty years after Philip had disappeared. Laura was struggling with her life, both as an artist and with her personal life. She was an artist that was struggling to regain her talent she once possessed. Laura had married young for all the wrong reasons and it had ended in divorce. It was hard for her to make commitments now. Although she had a good relationship with Edward, she found it hard to commit. Her older sister Bea and Laura were constantly bickering and at odds with each other. Bea had married and had a good marriage and had teen twin sons. Their once involved, social and elegant mother, Genevieve, had recently been diagnosed with dementia and Robert, their father, had died. One afternoon, her agent, Sullivan, showed up at her Washington home studio under the premise that someone had tried to contact Laura at the Washington Gallery three different times and claimed it had something to do with her brother. The e-mail read, “ I believe I have found your brother Philip. Are you Laura Preston born on 25 March 1965 to Robert and Genevieve Preston? If so, please reply. If you are not the correct Laura Preston, I am sorry for deranging you. Thank you. Claude Bossert.” Laura read the e-mail to her sister, Bea, but Bea being Bea, she was quite skeptical. Bea warned Laura that it might be a scam looking to get money. Laura ended up making arrangements to fly to Bangkok to see for herself if this person could be her brother Philip. What does Laura discover? Is the stranger her brother who disappeared over forty years ago?
What Could Be Saved by Liese O’Halloran Schwarz was a thrilling mystery set in a dual time line. It encompassed the themes of family, sibling rivalry, trust, marriageable affairs, sex trafficking, drug abuse, bullying and secrets. It was a well written book during a pivotal time in our country’s history. The roles women lead during the 1970’s were well defined and presented many limitations especially in Bangkok. The descriptions of Bangkok and the Thai people in What Could Be Saved were insightful. Liese O’Halloran Schwarz was able to depict and bring to life the unseen dangers expatriates faced in a country they had little understanding of. The author, expertly revealed all the secrets this family had hidden over the past four decades. Her character development was brilliant as was the plot for this fabulous book. I can’t wait to see what she writes next. I highly recommend What Could Be Saved. Publication for What Could Be Saved is expected for January 12, 2021.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster for allowing me to read this advanced readers copy of What Could Be Saved through goodreads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
February 2, 2021
What Could Be Saved is an engaging dual timeline story. In 2019 artist Laura Preston is contacted by a man claiming to be her brother, Philip, who was kidnapped in 1972 when Laura’s family lived in Bangkok, Thailand. Her sister, Bea, thinks it is a scam. Her mother, Genevieve, has dementia and is of no help. Laura’s long-time boyfriend also thinks the man is a con. After a Skype call is abruptly cut off, Laura believes he is Philip. Against everyone’s wishes, she flies to Bangkok to meet him in person. She is able to get Philip a US passport after a sibling DNA test shows they are related. Laura flies him home, but Philip is extremely ill and does want to talk about his disappearance.
The novel then goes back to 1972, when Robert and Genevieve Preston, along with their three young children, Bea, Philip, and Laura, are living in Bangkok. Robert has told everyone he is working on building a new dam, when in fact he works for American Intelligence to aid with the Vietnam War. The family is known for hosting parties on Friday nights. The children are able to meet some of their father’s co-workers at these parties. One of the co-workers doesn’t seem on the up-and-up to Robert, but he and his exotic date make an impression on young Philip.
The Prestons have three maids, including Noi who is only 15 years old. Noi is seduced by the family’s driver, who turns out to be married to the oldest maid’s daughter. Philip disappeared when the driver failed to pick him up after a Judo lesson. The family blames the driver, but he is not charged with the crime after Noi gives him an alibi. When the war is over, Noi moves to Washington with the Prestons.
The majority of the novel is not about the kidnapping. Instead, the focus is on family relationships, both before and after the abduction. For Genevieve, there is the strain of living in a strange country for four years. She has an adulterous affair with Robert’s superior. She is with her lover when Philip goes missing. Her marriage to Robert is never the same, even though they do not divorce. Genevieve is an absent mother for her two daughters and makes many trips back to Thailand to look for Philip. The relationship between Laura and Bea has been strained for years. When Philip returns, things erupt between the sisters even more. Laura is also dealing with personal commitment issues and her recent inability to produce good paintings.
4-Stars. I would recommend this novel to people who enjoyed Long Bright River. I would not recommend it to my own book club because of the themes of adultery, sex trafficking, and child prostitution.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.
The novel then goes back to 1972, when Robert and Genevieve Preston, along with their three young children, Bea, Philip, and Laura, are living in Bangkok. Robert has told everyone he is working on building a new dam, when in fact he works for American Intelligence to aid with the Vietnam War. The family is known for hosting parties on Friday nights. The children are able to meet some of their father’s co-workers at these parties. One of the co-workers doesn’t seem on the up-and-up to Robert, but he and his exotic date make an impression on young Philip.
The Prestons have three maids, including Noi who is only 15 years old. Noi is seduced by the family’s driver, who turns out to be married to the oldest maid’s daughter. Philip disappeared when the driver failed to pick him up after a Judo lesson. The family blames the driver, but he is not charged with the crime after Noi gives him an alibi. When the war is over, Noi moves to Washington with the Prestons.
The majority of the novel is not about the kidnapping. Instead, the focus is on family relationships, both before and after the abduction. For Genevieve, there is the strain of living in a strange country for four years. She has an adulterous affair with Robert’s superior. She is with her lover when Philip goes missing. Her marriage to Robert is never the same, even though they do not divorce. Genevieve is an absent mother for her two daughters and makes many trips back to Thailand to look for Philip. The relationship between Laura and Bea has been strained for years. When Philip returns, things erupt between the sisters even more. Laura is also dealing with personal commitment issues and her recent inability to produce good paintings.
4-Stars. I would recommend this novel to people who enjoyed Long Bright River. I would not recommend it to my own book club because of the themes of adultery, sex trafficking, and child prostitution.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my review.
May 16, 2021
⭐️4 Stars⭐️
What Could Be Saved is an intricately detailed family saga/mystery that depicts the story of a missing child and a shattered imperfect family struggling with grief.
The story is set in two timelines, 1972 Bangkok and Washington DC 2019. Robert and Genevieve Preston move to Thailand with their three young children under Robert's pretence of designing a dam for his work.
Genevieve spends her days planning the children’s schedules, getting her hair or nails done, attending luncheons and hosting or attending dinner parties with other American expatriates. The family have many household staff and a driver. High walls surround their luxury accommodation. A one year post had somehow extended to four years and Genevieve is eager to return home to America.
Their young eight year old son Philip tragically disappears after attending one of his regular judo lessons and the family try to make sense of what has happened.
Present day we learn the truth of Philip’s disappearance after forty years of being 'lost’. Philip’s youngest sibling Laura is a reclusive artist in Washington, her domineering sister Bea is married with teenage twins and their elegant mother Genevieve is slowly slipping into mental decline.
A gripping mystery that was very character driven with plentiful secrets and lies. I found it intriguing especially the location set in Bangkok in the 70’s.
I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to win an advanced copy of the book
What Could Be Saved is an intricately detailed family saga/mystery that depicts the story of a missing child and a shattered imperfect family struggling with grief.
The story is set in two timelines, 1972 Bangkok and Washington DC 2019. Robert and Genevieve Preston move to Thailand with their three young children under Robert's pretence of designing a dam for his work.
Genevieve spends her days planning the children’s schedules, getting her hair or nails done, attending luncheons and hosting or attending dinner parties with other American expatriates. The family have many household staff and a driver. High walls surround their luxury accommodation. A one year post had somehow extended to four years and Genevieve is eager to return home to America.
Their young eight year old son Philip tragically disappears after attending one of his regular judo lessons and the family try to make sense of what has happened.
Present day we learn the truth of Philip’s disappearance after forty years of being 'lost’. Philip’s youngest sibling Laura is a reclusive artist in Washington, her domineering sister Bea is married with teenage twins and their elegant mother Genevieve is slowly slipping into mental decline.
A gripping mystery that was very character driven with plentiful secrets and lies. I found it intriguing especially the location set in Bangkok in the 70’s.
I wish to thank Allen & Unwin for the opportunity to win an advanced copy of the book
February 4, 2021
In this family drama, Robert Preston has been sent to Bangkok in 1972 to build a bridge. The bridge project never seems to get off the ground and we eventually learn that building is not his only reason for being in Bangkok. (Exactly what he is doing is always a little hazy in the book.) His wife Genevieve spends her time with a bunch of other expat wives and her lover, while not paying a lot of attention to her three young children Bea, Philip and Laura. The expats have a very callous and imperious attitude towards the young Thai women whose only choices are to be servants or enter the thriving and exceedingly disgusting sex industry. The Preston family is crushed when 8 year old Philip disappears after his martial arts class. Philip miraculously reappears in 2019.
The book flips back and forth between 1972 and 2019. I liked the fact that we are given large chunks of each time period, rather than alternating chapters. However, I much preferred the 1972 story set in Bangkok. It was more atmospheric and definitely had more drama, especially at the end when we finally learn what happened to Philip. The 2019 story is set in Washington DC and mostly consists of Philip’s sisters arguing with each other. Although the 2019 chapters dragged for me, I really wanted to hear Philip’s story and I am glad that I stuck around for it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The book flips back and forth between 1972 and 2019. I liked the fact that we are given large chunks of each time period, rather than alternating chapters. However, I much preferred the 1972 story set in Bangkok. It was more atmospheric and definitely had more drama, especially at the end when we finally learn what happened to Philip. The 2019 story is set in Washington DC and mostly consists of Philip’s sisters arguing with each other. Although the 2019 chapters dragged for me, I really wanted to hear Philip’s story and I am glad that I stuck around for it.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
April 30, 2021
I really really enjoyed this book. It was the type of book that I wanted to savor. The book is written in a dual timeline. In the very beginning we meet Laura. An eccentric artist who has been contacted by a mysterious man in Thailand claiming to be her brother that went missing when he was 8 years old. The book bounces between present day and Laura's search to find the man and to figure out if he is really who he says he is, and when the children are young and living in Bangkok. The character development is beautiful. You get to narrative of each family member and what was happening in their lives leading up to Philips disappearance and the immediate fall out afterwards. You also get the feelings and voices of the family in present day almost 40 years later. Plus, you get the mystery of trying to discover what really happened to Philip all those years ago.
There was so much emotion in this book. It dealt with lots of heavy issues but in a beautiful way. You get to experience the families loss, regrets, and how they tried to piece back together a broken family. There are also undertones of depression and dementia.
Overall, A really great read that I highly highly recommend.
I highly highly recommend this.
There was so much emotion in this book. It dealt with lots of heavy issues but in a beautiful way. You get to experience the families loss, regrets, and how they tried to piece back together a broken family. There are also undertones of depression and dementia.
Overall, A really great read that I highly highly recommend.
I highly highly recommend this.
January 16, 2021
What Could Be Saved
Compelling, Captivating, fascinating, an intriguing page turner story about a family reunited with their turbulent, unanswered and unresolved history
This book is outstanding, exceptional. Well-written. The prose..... the writing.. wow. A 2021 must read.
Don't Miss This One
Review Posted : 11 Jan 2021
This is scheduled to be release on 12 Jan 2021
Thank You to the publisher Atria Books, Netgalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review
Compelling, Captivating, fascinating, an intriguing page turner story about a family reunited with their turbulent, unanswered and unresolved history
This book is outstanding, exceptional. Well-written. The prose..... the writing.. wow. A 2021 must read.
Don't Miss This One
Review Posted : 11 Jan 2021
This is scheduled to be release on 12 Jan 2021
Thank You to the publisher Atria Books, Netgalley and the author for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review
January 25, 2021
Alright so I’m disappointed and definitely in the minority. I’m all for literary fiction but there was something I couldn’t get into with this book. It’s told in present day and past day, explaining how Laura and Bea’s brother went missing. A stranger in Thailand contacts Laura claiming to be their brother Phillip and she flies off to go meet with him. There are way too many characters and we even hear the point of view from the parents and I just really lost interest after part one. I gained interest again later but then I lost it pretty quickly. The premise is interesting enough but there are so many unnecessary details through out the book. It’s almost 500 pages and really did not need to be this long. I think it would’ve benefited shaved off 100 pages but maybe that’s just me since again, I’m in the minority. I do think that Schwarz did really well character development and knows how to tie together a story but this one just didn’t work for me.
I won this from a giveaway so I do have a physical copy but this was also given as an arc from Netgalley. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Atria books, and Goodreads for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I won this from a giveaway so I do have a physical copy but this was also given as an arc from Netgalley. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Atria books, and Goodreads for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 6, 2021
A difficult book to rate. Mostly well written. Heavy material covered. Didn't really connect to any of the main characters. It's a little as if this was a second book and I should have already known everyone.
40 or so years ago an American family lived in Bangkok. Mother, father, older sister, brother and younger sister. Brother goes missing and the family went back to the US.
Now, 40 years on, an email arrives to say that the brother is alive and would like to reconnect.
Is this genuine or a scam? The sisters do not know. The elder sister thinks scam but the younger sister thinks it might be genuine and goes to Thailand to investigate.
The story takes us between the past and the present. The present could have benefitted from some more depth into both characters and storyline.
40 or so years ago an American family lived in Bangkok. Mother, father, older sister, brother and younger sister. Brother goes missing and the family went back to the US.
Now, 40 years on, an email arrives to say that the brother is alive and would like to reconnect.
Is this genuine or a scam? The sisters do not know. The elder sister thinks scam but the younger sister thinks it might be genuine and goes to Thailand to investigate.
The story takes us between the past and the present. The present could have benefitted from some more depth into both characters and storyline.
January 30, 2021
I have just finished reading What Could Be Saved, by Author Liese O'Halloran Schwarz
This is the first book that I have read by this author
The book is about an American family who live in Bangkok in the 70’s, however the book takes part as well in Washington DC in 1990. It is in this time that they are contacted by a stranger telling them that their brother who disappeared in the 70’s as a young boy is still alive
The family has been seeking the whereabouts of the brother with no results for so many years.
This is a story that can not be rushed, and has a great deal going on in the lives of the family members. I did enjoy the story, however felt it was a bit on the long side.
Thank You to NetGalley, Author Liese O'Halloran Schwarz and Atria Books for my advanced copy to read and review
#NetGalley
This is the first book that I have read by this author
The book is about an American family who live in Bangkok in the 70’s, however the book takes part as well in Washington DC in 1990. It is in this time that they are contacted by a stranger telling them that their brother who disappeared in the 70’s as a young boy is still alive
The family has been seeking the whereabouts of the brother with no results for so many years.
This is a story that can not be rushed, and has a great deal going on in the lives of the family members. I did enjoy the story, however felt it was a bit on the long side.
Thank You to NetGalley, Author Liese O'Halloran Schwarz and Atria Books for my advanced copy to read and review
#NetGalley
September 4, 2021
5 It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This STARS!
Wow, what a story, an intense, well plotted tale full of painful secrets that tear the fabric of a family to near sheds! My first experience with Liese O'Halloran Schwarz and I was kept on tenterhooks throughout the two timelines of this glorious story!
A family is stationed in Thailand during the height of the Vietnam war, each feeling a bit off balance by their own insecurities enhanced by their obvious foreignness. Robert Preston more or less blends in wherever setting he is placed and keeps a low profile. His wife, Genevieve is his opposite. She is head of a group of women at the club from the states, making the best of a hostile, hot and humid assignment. Their two girls, Beatrice and Laura are often at odds with each other but adapt to their environment with the help of their riding lessons and ballet and their refreshing swimming pool that makes them popular with the neighborhood children. Phillip is short and frail, he is the object of bullying, he spends much of his time fantasizing on how to escape from his tormentors both ex-pats and Thai.
When Phillip disappears the already tenuous relationships within the house are further fractured. Eventually, the family returns back to the states without Phillip and no answers as to what happened to him. Much of the story focuses on the years that followed and the impact his absence has had on each person, particularly, Laura, the youngest of the Preston family, younger than Phillip by a year. She narrates a good portion of the present day story, while her mother, Genevieve narrates much of the initial time period, while the family lived in Bangkok and along with her numerous return trips there searching for Phillip or answers regarding his disappearance. Other family members, Thai staff and even Phillip share critical portions of the story, weaving a tighter web.
The writing is sublime. You are captivated by each perspective and time, the motivations of each character granting you deeper understanding of the socio-political situation of that era.
Phillip has managed to remain alive and slowly his tale is told. Schwarz handles what follows with tenderness and great aplomb. What may make some queasy or cease to proceed is told with great sensitivity and compassion and subtly slowly airbrushing the events on the canvas of the mind.
If you enjoy immersive tales consider this for both its phenomenal storyline as well as great insights on the lifestyle and living conditions in less wealthy parts of the world. It will be eye opening to some. I love stories from this region of the world and though I've had only read a few stories set in Thailand. It was one I definitely won't forget. This author will be someone, I will regularly seek in the future.
I urge you not to delay reading this one. It is in competition for favorite in 2021 for me!
Wow, what a story, an intense, well plotted tale full of painful secrets that tear the fabric of a family to near sheds! My first experience with Liese O'Halloran Schwarz and I was kept on tenterhooks throughout the two timelines of this glorious story!
A family is stationed in Thailand during the height of the Vietnam war, each feeling a bit off balance by their own insecurities enhanced by their obvious foreignness. Robert Preston more or less blends in wherever setting he is placed and keeps a low profile. His wife, Genevieve is his opposite. She is head of a group of women at the club from the states, making the best of a hostile, hot and humid assignment. Their two girls, Beatrice and Laura are often at odds with each other but adapt to their environment with the help of their riding lessons and ballet and their refreshing swimming pool that makes them popular with the neighborhood children. Phillip is short and frail, he is the object of bullying, he spends much of his time fantasizing on how to escape from his tormentors both ex-pats and Thai.
When Phillip disappears the already tenuous relationships within the house are further fractured. Eventually, the family returns back to the states without Phillip and no answers as to what happened to him. Much of the story focuses on the years that followed and the impact his absence has had on each person, particularly, Laura, the youngest of the Preston family, younger than Phillip by a year. She narrates a good portion of the present day story, while her mother, Genevieve narrates much of the initial time period, while the family lived in Bangkok and along with her numerous return trips there searching for Phillip or answers regarding his disappearance. Other family members, Thai staff and even Phillip share critical portions of the story, weaving a tighter web.
The writing is sublime. You are captivated by each perspective and time, the motivations of each character granting you deeper understanding of the socio-political situation of that era.
Phillip has managed to remain alive and slowly his tale is told. Schwarz handles what follows with tenderness and great aplomb. What may make some queasy or cease to proceed is told with great sensitivity and compassion and subtly slowly airbrushing the events on the canvas of the mind.
If you enjoy immersive tales consider this for both its phenomenal storyline as well as great insights on the lifestyle and living conditions in less wealthy parts of the world. It will be eye opening to some. I love stories from this region of the world and though I've had only read a few stories set in Thailand. It was one I definitely won't forget. This author will be someone, I will regularly seek in the future.
I urge you not to delay reading this one. It is in competition for favorite in 2021 for me!
January 3, 2021
What Could Be Saved is one of those long meaty books. It’s not perfect, bur it’s very much the type of novel I love to sink my teeth in. There are two timelines. In the earlier timeline, in 1972, an American family lives in Bangkok. From the outset, we know that one of the children went missing while they were there. In the later timelines, in 2019, the younger sister, Laura, receives an email suggesting that her brother has been found. The earlier timeline is seen from multiple points of view, with everyone caught up in the drama in their own heads. The later timeline is mostly seen from the perspective of Laura, who has lived all these years with the emotional fallout of her brother’s disappearance. The writing is strong. The plotting is intricate. There is a delicious edge of your seat tension to both storylines. And there is a subtle— but not preachy — commentary about colonialism and class. My only real criticism is that I wasn’t very interested in the subplot involving Laura’s melodramatic contemporary relationships. But otherwise it was a good read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
February 4, 2022
****3.5 Stars****
Waaaay too long. Otherwise, an intriguing plot that revolves around a family’s search for their son who went missing in Bangkok, Thailand 47 years earlier. This story was a slow climb in the beginning with dual timelines between Thailand and Washington DC.
I love a good family saga, and I’ve read (and loved) a few that explore the impact on a family when a child goes missing. Oddly, I would have liked more insight into this family’s grief and guilt when confronted with their son’s tragic abduction. The narrative felt a bit at arm’s length.
The novel has almost 500 pages, multiple timelines and many characters. I enjoyed the family drama, but it wasn’t compelling enough to keep me from drifting away from the novel at times.
Waaaay too long. Otherwise, an intriguing plot that revolves around a family’s search for their son who went missing in Bangkok, Thailand 47 years earlier. This story was a slow climb in the beginning with dual timelines between Thailand and Washington DC.
I love a good family saga, and I’ve read (and loved) a few that explore the impact on a family when a child goes missing. Oddly, I would have liked more insight into this family’s grief and guilt when confronted with their son’s tragic abduction. The narrative felt a bit at arm’s length.
The novel has almost 500 pages, multiple timelines and many characters. I enjoyed the family drama, but it wasn’t compelling enough to keep me from drifting away from the novel at times.
August 6, 2021
A character-driven, slow-burn of a novel about a family's past in Bangkok and present life in the U.S. Although there is an element of suspense, it was easy for me to leave the last 50 pages for a week (too big to pack on my vacation). But I did love returning to it and found it deeply satisfying.
July 12, 2021
I’m giving this book 3 stars, mostly because the writing is quite decent.
But unfortunately I couldn’t feel any attachment to the storyline or to the characters.
I really wanted to love this book, but I can’t lie. I was bored the whole time.
There was nothing outstanding about it.
And I hate feeling numb, especially when there is such a hard topic like child prostitution.
I really did not connect with this work and I’m truly disappointed. My favourite reviewers loved this book, but I did struggle with it. The storyline dragged on for too long.
Yes, this one did not work for me.
But unfortunately I couldn’t feel any attachment to the storyline or to the characters.
I really wanted to love this book, but I can’t lie. I was bored the whole time.
There was nothing outstanding about it.
And I hate feeling numb, especially when there is such a hard topic like child prostitution.
I really did not connect with this work and I’m truly disappointed. My favourite reviewers loved this book, but I did struggle with it. The storyline dragged on for too long.
Yes, this one did not work for me.
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