Book Review: Kala by Colin Walsh

Rating: 3.75⭐

“Grief is like falling in love; it is always narcissistic. Some catastrophe cuts through your life and immediately you reshape the world to make this disaster the secret heartbeat of all things, the buried truth of the universe.”

Katherine "Kala" Lanann was 15 years years old when she disappeared in November 2003, leaving her friends Joe, Aoife, Helen, Mush, and Aiden and the whole town of Kinlough in shock. The once tight-knit group of friends eventually go their own ways, their friendship fractured in the aftermath of Kala’s disappearance. Fifteen years later Helen, Joe and Mush reunite in their hometown. Joe is a famous rockstar who is back in town due to personal reasons and Mush never left and helps run his mother's café. Helen is a freelance journalist who settled in Canada and is back in town to attend a wedding. Past events come back to haunt them when Kala’s remains are discovered in the woods by the lake, evidence confirming that Kala was murdered. Who killed Kala and why?

The subsequent disappearance of Mush’s twin teenage cousins sends shockwaves through the small town. Could their disappearance be in any way related to the events from fifteen years ago? The narrative follows the three friends as they cope with their past trauma and try to get to the truth behind Kala’s murder while also searching for the two missing girls.

The strength of Kala by Colin Walsh lies in its characterizations and the author’s powerful writing. Part coming-of-age story and part literary thriller this is a dark and immersive novel. The narrative is presented from the perspectives of Mush and Helen in the first-person, and Joe in the second–person, in alternating chapters. The plot is well structured, though I did find the pacing a tad uneven. Past and present timelines are seamlessly woven into an intense, cohesive narrative that traces how the events from the past have cast a shadow on the lives of Kala’s friends – their grief, confusion, guilt and personal struggles that have followed them into their adulthood. I loved how the author built up Kala’s character giving us a vivid look into who she was and her dynamic with each of those in her circle of friends. Initially, I found it a bit difficult to keep track of the large cast of characters, especially how they were related to one another but as the narrative progresses, it becomes much clearer. To be honest, the mystery behind Kala’s disappearance and subsequent murder became a tad long-drawn and as the narrative progresses there are enough breadcrumbs to get an idea of what might have happened, but the author’s writing, the characters and the description of the dynamics within a small town riddled with corruption and secrets had me captivated till the very end.

I could not believe this is the author’s debut novel and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. Many thanks to Doubleday Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

“It takes strength to be open to life, to the possibility things will change for the better.”

⚠Please Note that there are descriptions of animal cruelty and violence that are quite disturbing.