The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy by BM Carroll
Published by Penguin UK, Michael Joseph
Publication Date 27th December 2018
My sincere thanks to Penguin UK (Michael Joseph) for the offer to read this book via NetGalley. To my embarrassment it has taken an inordinately long time to read this book for which I apologise. I did however borrow a finished copy from my local library and this review is based on the print copy.
Book Description:
She's the victim.
But is she so innocent?
Sophie McCarthy is known for her determination, ambition and brilliance at work. She's tough, but only because she wants to get the best out of people.
Aidan Ryan is strong, honourable, and a family man. He's tough too; the army requires it.
When these two strangers are brought together in a devastating incident, Sophie's life is left in ruins. Her family wants to see Aidan pay for what he did.
Aidan's prepared to sacrifice everything - including his marriage and his child - to fix the mess he's made.
But some things can't be fixed, and Sophie is not at all what she first appeared . . .
The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy is a gripping, impossible-to-put-down exploration of betrayal and revenge.
My Thoughts:
This book is written from various points of view but where this can often be quite confusing, Ber Carroll has done an excellent job of keeping things crystal clear as to who the reader is hearing from.
Sophie McCarthy takes no messing; her father has instilled in her from an early age that she can achieve anything she wants, and to do so she must put her head above the parapet and show that she deserves the plaudits. What he didn't tell her was that this often comes at a price.
Aidan Ryan is an army officer with very exacting standards. The military lifestyle has instilled in him the importance of doing the right thing no matter how uncomfortable it is on a personal level. It is this keen sense of values which has brought him and Sophie together following a road traffic accident which left Sophie a shadow of her former self.
The first section of the book is a slow burn but is essential to understand the depth of the personality traits of each of the main characters and how they affect those close to them. The story covers many areas, some could be flagged as needing trigger warnings I suppose however the way all the various aspects combine to create the perfect storm I feel it would water down the whole concept considerably if we were on the lookout for those triggers from the start.
The story touches on issues such as bullying, guilt, remorse, PTSD, chronic pain, and a shed load of associated emotional effects and had me considering whether I personally would be able to cope in the various situations which the different characters found themselves. It's most definitely a book which you take with you while not physically reading the pages. The characters are all well drawn and believable if not particularly likeable in some cases, my particular favourites were the youngsters and in particular their football coach, Davey.
Overall, a flowing story with interesting moral dilemmas at its heart which I enjoyed as a whole.
About The Author:
Ber Carroll was born in Blarney, a small village in Ireland. The third child of six, reading was her favourite pastime (and still is!). Ber moved to Sydney in 1995 and spent her early career working in finance. Her work colleagues were speechless when she revealed that she had written a novel that was soon to be published. Ber now writes full time and is the author of eight novels, including Once Lost, Worlds Apart and Less Than Perfect. The Missing Pieces of Sophie McCarthy is her first book published under the name B M Carroll.
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