Review: The Precious One by Marisa De Los Santos

Eustacia “Taisy” Cleary's relationship with her father is far from typical. Wilson Cleary, though a brilliant professor, could stand to learn a few lessons on how to be a loving father. Seventeen years ago, he left Taisy, her mother and brother, Marcus, for Caroline, a talented sculptor.  In those seventeen years, Taisy has only seen her father once.  So when he invites Taisy and Marcus to visit for an extended period of time, Taisy can't help but question his motives.

It wasn't just Wilson's cold and uncaring relationship that caused a riff in this father/daughter relationship.  He forced Taisy to end a relationship with her first love, Ben Ransom.  Why would he want to reunite with her now? Under the guise of ghost-writing his memoir, Taisy reluctantly returns to the home that was once her own, to meet her half sister, Willow, who now has possession of her childhood room. This reunion could be disastrous, yet for some reason Taisy can't say no.

Told in alternating voices, The Precious One follows Taisy and Willow through a journey of love of family, of self-actualization and secrets.  Though their voices are drastically different – Taisy’s is more strong and determined while Willow’s is young and naive – they have a shared desire to have the nurturing connection that is part of a typical family.  With Wilson as their emotionally controlling father, however, each have had their own share of struggles and difficulties in relationships.  Taisy has never gotten over her one true love, and Willow finds herself entering an inappropriate relationship because she doesn’t have, in Wilson, the typical male role model.  Home-schooled most of her life, she doesn’t have a history of healthy peer relationships to help guide her on her journey to maturity and adulthood. Unable to discern between romantic love and simple affection, she puts herself at risk for harm and abuse.

Taisy, on the other hand, is desperate to learn more about her father’s upbringing, certain that it will bring to life the motives and situations that caused him to be so sheltered and guarded, emotionally. She intentionally investigates the part of his life she was forbidden to write about.

As Taisy and Willow go on their own individual journeys of self-discovery, they are simultaneously battling out the relationship with one another. Both full of preconceived notions and perceptions,  it is the new relationship forged by this battle that is their salvation.

While I found the sister relationship  to be heartwarming and endearing, I felt overall this novel to be too perfect, too cut and dry.  The male characters were either good or evil, set in stone from the beginning with little shift in characterization.  The saving grace was the evolution that Taisy and Willow’s relationship underwent. Their characters embarked upon a remarkable change, shedding all the misconceptions and bitterness that once wore their relationship down.

Honestly, there were times where I didn’t know where the novel was going. Tangents led me to believe it was going one way, only to find it going in a completely opposite direction. Additionally, I felt more depth could have gone into Wilson’s history. Perhaps I would have felt more connected or interested in his character had there been more. Or, perhaps this was the intent, to craft a character that is a mere shell of a human being.

So, while I would not recommend this book for the plot or the storyline, I would highly recommend it for the remarkably crafted and evolved female characters and the powerful, emotional journey they embark upon.  If you are looking for novel to lift your spirits, this is the one for you. If you are looking for something deeper, more profound, you are better off looking elsewhere.