Published by Quercus
Publication Date 15th September 2022
My thanks to Katya Ellis from Quercus publishers for allowing me the privilege of reading this book ahead of publication via NetGalley.
All opinions here are my own and unbiased.
Book Description:
The child you never knew
knows all your secrets . . .
Out of the blue, Susie Jukes is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago.
But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.
But is Anna's own behaviour simply what you'd expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here - secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years?
My Thoughts:
To say I was excited when I discovered JP Delaney had written another psychological thriller is rather an understatement, then to be approved by the publisher to read and review it so far ahead of publication is on another level. I have loved every one of his previous titles and couldn't wait to dive in.
Susie Jukes and her husband Gabe are famous in the music world. That comes with all the usual trappings of fame: the lovely home, the extremely comfortable income and perhaps an occasional skeleton in the closet that is probably best left in the safety of the past. In Susie's case, this comes in the form of the daughter she gave up for adoption 15 years ago: Anna. Susie is ecstatic when she is contacted by the adoption agency saying that Anna wants contact with her. Gabe however is less enthusiastic and warns Susie to proceed with caution, especially when it becomes clear that everything in Anna's adoptive world isn't as clear cut as it could be.
There are lots of issues addressed in this novel: adoption and the knock-on effects this can have on both the adopted child and the birth mother; the less than attractive side of the world of fame and the music industry can lead to; attachment and abandonment issues experienced by adopted children. All of these and more come into play but I don't want to give too much away and spoil the book for anyone considering reading this one. Suffice to say there's a lot going on in Anna's world.
From a writer's point of view this must have been a challenging book to write, however from a reader's point of view I'm not sure I enjoyed it quite as much as the author's previous books. There has clearly been a lot of research into the subject of adoption and the processes and emotions associated with it but personally I felt there's something missing but quite what that is I can't put my finger on.
An exciting read but just missed the spot for me personally (sorry!)
About the Author:
J.P. Delaney is a pseudonym of Ugandan born British author, Tony Strong who has also written highly popular novels under the pseudonym Anthony Capella. The author was born in 1962 though he went on to school at St Peter’s College, Oxford, from which he attained a First Class Honors Degree in English Literature.
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