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Publication Date 19th October 2017 (kindle ebook), 25th Jan 2018 paperback
I received an e-copy of this book from Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) via NetGalley
in exchange for an honest review
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Joanna is an avoider. So far she has spent her adult life hiding bank statements and changing career aspirations weekly.
But then one night Joanna hears footsteps on the way home. Is she being followed? She is sure it's him; the man from the bar who wouldn't leave her alone. Hearing the steps speed up Joanna turns and pushes with all of her might, sending her pursuer tumbling down the steps and lying motionless on the floor.
Now Joanna has to do the thing she hates most - make a decision. Fight or flight? Truth or lie? Right or wrong?
My thoughts:
One of my favourite films is Sliding Doors, and this book is written with very much the same idea in mind but instead of the discovery of infidelity being the issue it is the life of a young man which hangs in the balance depending on the main character's decision.
Joanna is on a night out with her best friend when the night is spoiled by the unwanted attention from a man in a bar, The girls decide it is time to call it a night and leave the bar to make their separate ways home. Joanna is walking home alone alongside the canal when she hear footsteps behind her. Without checking who is behind her, Joanna lashes out in self defence and this is where the story splits in to two possible scenarios depending on what action she takes.
Joanna knows her husband Reuben would have no trouble choosing what to do next, and in the one scenario we follow events if Joanna reports the incident and gets help to the young man.
Joanna however is the world's biggest procrastinator and the alternative scenario leads us down the road of what happens if she panics, fails report things and goes home to her comfortable life where she need not take responsibility for any involvement.
The after effects of Joanna's decisions are played out in alternating chapters clearly entitled Conceal and Reveal, with the author exploring how events would affect different characters and their families. There has clearly been lots of research by the author into the psychology of crime as well as the mechanics of how the system works.
I love this book especially how it manages to not be judgmental towards any character, merely shows how we are all fallible as humans and how even those who we think would never do any wrong still wrestle with their conscience sometimes. That doing the right thing often doesn't feel right. I found this a thought provoking, enjoyable read.
Joanna is on a night out with her best friend when the night is spoiled by the unwanted attention from a man in a bar, The girls decide it is time to call it a night and leave the bar to make their separate ways home. Joanna is walking home alone alongside the canal when she hear footsteps behind her. Without checking who is behind her, Joanna lashes out in self defence and this is where the story splits in to two possible scenarios depending on what action she takes.
Joanna knows her husband Reuben would have no trouble choosing what to do next, and in the one scenario we follow events if Joanna reports the incident and gets help to the young man.
Joanna however is the world's biggest procrastinator and the alternative scenario leads us down the road of what happens if she panics, fails report things and goes home to her comfortable life where she need not take responsibility for any involvement.
The after effects of Joanna's decisions are played out in alternating chapters clearly entitled Conceal and Reveal, with the author exploring how events would affect different characters and their families. There has clearly been lots of research by the author into the psychology of crime as well as the mechanics of how the system works.
I love this book especially how it manages to not be judgmental towards any character, merely shows how we are all fallible as humans and how even those who we think would never do any wrong still wrestle with their conscience sometimes. That doing the right thing often doesn't feel right. I found this a thought provoking, enjoyable read.
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