What Could Be Saved

Bookseller recommendation

“Readers of What Could Be Saved should budget a day for when they have finished reading, just to sit and process this incredible story. Liese O'Halloran Schwarz has given us a powerful and crushing novel about a little boy who disappears while his family is living in Bangkok only to resurface decades later. The slow build of the tangled characters rises to a soul-wringing end that will take some time to recover from.”

— Mary • Skylark Bookshop

Bookseller recommendation

“Liese O’Halloran Schwarz has pulled off a remarkable feat - she was written a suspenseful novel that explores the characters and their lives so well, that you forget the 'thing' you are waiting to hear explained... and when it comes, there is such grace in the pacing, it feels deeply gratifying. I moved from day to night to morning with the book as close as I could keep it - finding myself putting off anything I had to do to be able to read more. More and more a 'fresh' story or plot seems hard to come by, but I have never read anything quite like What Could Be Saved. That, in itself, is fantastic. ”

— Kira • Merritt Bookstore

Bookseller recommendation

“Wow. What a riveting read! Part family saga, part mystery, What Could Be Saved is just extraordinary. It is a moving, powerful story of loss and regret, loyalty and redemption. Schwarz’s crisp, lyrical prose lays bare the emotional journey of each member of this unforgettable family. These beautifully drawn, tragically flawed characters will remain with me long after turning the last page.”

— Anderson McKean • Page and Palette