REVIEW: Paper Chains: A Novel by Nicola Moriarty

In Paper Chains: A Novel by Nicola Moriarty, Hannah and India met by chance in a gift shop in London, neither one knowing how dramatically their lives would change in the near future as a result of the friendship they strike up. Both women are hiding from dark secrets in their not-so-distant past. Hannah is reeling from a huge decision she made back in Australia and is set on beating herself up because of it. And India may seem like a carefree world traveler who has her life totally together, but she’s leaving things up to fate instead of making a choice about an important person in her life. The letters she writes, being passed from traveler to traveler, sets India’s secret free and sets off a chain of events that will forever change many lives.

‘They both dissolved into laughter then and as they made their way down the road, India thought, I think I just made a new best friend.’

Set mainly in the UK and Australia, this reissue of Paper Chains was a poignant look at how two troubled women’s lives intersected and the lasting effect they had on each other.

‘It still amazed her how a person who she had known for such a short period of time had had such an impact on her.’

Trigger warning: View Spoiler »Depression, suicidal thoughts, self harm. « Hide Spoiler

I’m not going to lie…I have mixed feelings about this book. Not because of the writing itself, which flowed as beautifully as anything else I’ve read by Nicola Moriarty. I even liked the way she wove in snippets of the past, teasing us with what big secrets our two heroines were keeping. The ending as well was bittersweet and superbly done. It was Hannah’s decision that led to her moving to England for a bit that gave me trouble. I grew to understand *why* she did what she did. And I felt horribly for what caused her to make that decision. But Hannah was SO angsty that at times it was honestly difficult to cheer her on to find her way and get back on her feet, so to speak. (Thankfully she eventually did!)

India’s part of the story changed greatly from the beginning to the end. I got a kick out of her free-spirited ways at first and loved how she challenged Hannah to open up and live her life. Later on, I kind of wanted to yell at India to take a chance on love. Although it was pretty cool that she let things take their own natural course by sending letters to someone special via travelers passing them by hand to others heading towards the letter’s final destination. There was something romantic about the idea.

Both India and Hannah had been through an incredible amount of tragedy in their rather short lives and my heart certainly went out to them. I thought they made a pretty great pair of friends, albeit they were polar opposites. But it was nice to see how Hannah and India changed each other–mainly for the better–and how the surprising twists Moriarty added to the story only enhanced their friendship and cemented their bond.

A quick but meaningful read, Paper Chains shines a light on a few darker subjects, but also shows us the strength of friendship, family, and the importance of every decision we make in our lives.

Book Info:

Publication: September 3rd 2019 (first published February 1st 2013) | by William Morrow Paperbacks |

From the acclaimed author of The Fifth Letter and Those Other Women comes this touching story of secrets, friendship, family, and forgiveness—and the serendipitous twists of fate that shape our lives.

Accept a letter…

Hannah has been running—literally and figuratively—from her life back in Australia. Whenever she’s not working, she’s pounding London’s streets, putting the past behind her. Then she meets a fellow Australian named India, and Hannah’s entranced. For India is confident, exotic, and charming—qualities that Hannah feels she’s desperately lacking.

Pass it on…

India has a secret, too – one beyond any remedy. For it’s a secret that is currently sealed in a love letter and is making its journey across Europe in the most unconventional way—through the hands of strangers as they pass on the street.

And who knows where it will lead…

Before the letter with India’s deepest, darkest secret reaches its destination, can the women find the connection that will take each of them exactly where they need to go….