Roost by Jasmine Winterson is a book about running from your past and not being able to get away. Four people move out to Colorado to escape. They meet Anna, who wants to face up to her past, and Derek who wants to find a new future. In the midst of it all is intrigue and crime and danger, as well as mountain biking.

At first it seemed like the most boring topic, but I simply couldn’t stop reading. The idea of Colorado, this group of people with such different backgrounds coming together, and new ventures in a new place all intrigued me. Jasmine is just that good at dragging my attention in. The plot was really all over the place to begin with. There would be a hook that I thought would be fleshed out but then those got skipped over. By the time I finally figured out what the point was, I was already so in love with the characters that it just enhanced the story.

The characters had such depth and clarity, as well as diversity. Ordinary people with extraordinary circumstances. It all would have been even stronger with more solid hints and promises in the beginning that pointed toward the conclusion. But when we finally reached the conclusion, what an ending! Originally it felt like literary fiction and then it switched gears and became an action thriller, with I think one of my favorite endings ever. It was open ended in a way that lets your imagination play but also closes the story.

I received this book from the author for review.