The Rumour by Lesley Kara
Published by Bantam Press
Published 27 December 2018
Genre: womens fiction, psychological thriller
320 pages
Book Description:
When single mum Joanna hears a rumour at the school gates, she never intends to pass it on. But one casual comment leads to another and now there’s no going back . . .Rumour has it that a notorious child killer is living under a new identity, in their sleepy little town of Flinstead-on-Sea.
Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.
So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?
Sally McGowan was just ten years old when she stabbed little Robbie Harris to death forty-eight years ago – no photos of her exist since her release as a young woman.
So who is the supposedly reformed killer who now lives among them? How dangerous can one rumour become? And how far will Joanna go to protect her loved ones from harm, when she realizes what it is she’s unleashed?
My Review:
Single mum Joanna Critchley has moved back to the sleepy coastal town of Flinstead from the hustle and bustle of London life. Her son Alfie had trouble with bullies at his primary school back in the capital and Jo feels he might fair better in her mum's home town where life moves at a slower pace. Keen to help Alfie fit in and find friends, Jo's mum suggests that she join the other school mums at the book club. Jo does so, but still feels like she's struggling to be noticed and in a split second of desperation she repeats a snippet of juicy gossip she's overheard in order to get noticed amongst the other women. Her ploy works but not in the way she wanted and little does she realise what a huge impact that one sentence will have on the rest of her life.
The gossip spreads among the women like wildfire and soon the local community are up in arms trying to identify the person at the centre of the rumour. Fingers are pointed and Jo begins to wish she'd kept her mouth shut as things start to look as if they could get out of hand.
This is a story I think we can all relate to as I'm sure most of us have passed on something we've been told which maybe we should have been more discreet about - luckily for the majority of us it doesn't have the same consequences as it does for Joanna. It is difficult to say too much without giving away vital parts of the storyline, but I think this book is a great cautionary tale for our time.
As a debut novel I found this to be a great concept and I liked that it made me think about how easily false information can spread, especially in these days of social media. It also made me think about the idea of revenge and grudges being held, and how the younger generation can be influenced by the resentments of their elders if they are brought up in a toxic environment. Just one strong voice of reason is all it needs to defuse all that bitterness and years of anger.
I felt this was a believable book with a whole host strong messages to it. The saying "if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing" very much applies to this book and is one which we can all do well to remember. Lesley Kara is a very promising new voice in the psychological thriller genre which is no mean feat these days as there are some strong contenders on the shelves at moment.
Single mum Joanna Critchley has moved back to the sleepy coastal town of Flinstead from the hustle and bustle of London life. Her son Alfie had trouble with bullies at his primary school back in the capital and Jo feels he might fair better in her mum's home town where life moves at a slower pace. Keen to help Alfie fit in and find friends, Jo's mum suggests that she join the other school mums at the book club. Jo does so, but still feels like she's struggling to be noticed and in a split second of desperation she repeats a snippet of juicy gossip she's overheard in order to get noticed amongst the other women. Her ploy works but not in the way she wanted and little does she realise what a huge impact that one sentence will have on the rest of her life.
The gossip spreads among the women like wildfire and soon the local community are up in arms trying to identify the person at the centre of the rumour. Fingers are pointed and Jo begins to wish she'd kept her mouth shut as things start to look as if they could get out of hand.
This is a story I think we can all relate to as I'm sure most of us have passed on something we've been told which maybe we should have been more discreet about - luckily for the majority of us it doesn't have the same consequences as it does for Joanna. It is difficult to say too much without giving away vital parts of the storyline, but I think this book is a great cautionary tale for our time.
As a debut novel I found this to be a great concept and I liked that it made me think about how easily false information can spread, especially in these days of social media. It also made me think about the idea of revenge and grudges being held, and how the younger generation can be influenced by the resentments of their elders if they are brought up in a toxic environment. Just one strong voice of reason is all it needs to defuse all that bitterness and years of anger.
I felt this was a believable book with a whole host strong messages to it. The saying "if you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing" very much applies to this book and is one which we can all do well to remember. Lesley Kara is a very promising new voice in the psychological thriller genre which is no mean feat these days as there are some strong contenders on the shelves at moment.
About the Author:
Lesley Kara is an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. She lives on the North Essex coast. The Rumour is her first novel.
Social Media:
Website: www.lesleykara.com
Twitter @LesleyKara
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