Paterson Loarn's Blog: Paterson Loarn on Goodreads, page 7
April 10, 2023
The Exhibitionist by Charlotte Mendelson
The Exhibitionist opens with a quotation from Tolstoy - ‘….every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’ Formerly successful artist Ray Hanrahan, a domineering patriarch and determined narcissist, believes his family are ‘famously happy’. In fact they are all miserable. This does not sound like the premise for a humorous novel, but it works, and the novel becomes even funnier as the plot develops. Much of the humour comes from Charlotte Mendelson’s witty descriptions of her characters. Ray’s wife, Lucia, hides her own success for fear of bruising his ego. He has bullied all self-confidence out of his stepson. One daughter has escaped but reluctantly visits home in a show of family unity. Her sister devotes all her energy to fulfilling Ray’s wishes and persuading everyone else to do the same. This guilt-tripping is so effective that the entire tribe of Hanrahan, including cousins and an ex-wife, gather to support Ray when he opens his first exhibition in years.
The Exhibitionist will resonate with anyone who has had to tiptoe around the likes of Ray ‘on eggshells’ in fear of a tirade of verbal abuse. When he was a young genius his temper was excused, but now he is just a resentful old has-been. Ray has no boundaries so he says whatever pops into his head. His rudeness is shocking but hilarious. Anyone who has suffered the invective of a controlling narcissist like Ray Hanrahan knows that laughter helps to break their spell. There are plenty of laughs while Ray’s emotional hold over his nearest and dearest slowly weakens.
Mendelson writes beautifully, so there are many memorable lines in The Exhibitionist. My favourite is Lucia’s comment on her new crush - ‘She had the sort of brain one wants to fall inside.’
The Exhibitionist
The Exhibitionist will resonate with anyone who has had to tiptoe around the likes of Ray ‘on eggshells’ in fear of a tirade of verbal abuse. When he was a young genius his temper was excused, but now he is just a resentful old has-been. Ray has no boundaries so he says whatever pops into his head. His rudeness is shocking but hilarious. Anyone who has suffered the invective of a controlling narcissist like Ray Hanrahan knows that laughter helps to break their spell. There are plenty of laughs while Ray’s emotional hold over his nearest and dearest slowly weakens.
Mendelson writes beautifully, so there are many memorable lines in The Exhibitionist. My favourite is Lucia’s comment on her new crush - ‘She had the sort of brain one wants to fall inside.’
The Exhibitionist
March 31, 2023
Murder Under the Tuscan Sun by Rachel Rhys
In the prologue to Murder Under the Tuscan Sun, Connie Booth returns to Castello di Rocca Nera in spring 1946. She hardly notices the traces of German occupation because she is so distracted by her memories. Chapter 1 takes the reader to March 1927 in Pinner, England, where widowed Connie has suffered years of loss and grief. When she notices an advertisement for an ‘invalid’s companion’ in an English household near Florence, she applies ‘on a whim’.
Rachel Rhys has created a powerful and nuanced character in Connie. She is forty-nine years old, a tall, strong suffragette with nursing experience gained during WW1. It takes time for her to settle into being a paid servant. William North, the art expert she is employed to watch over while he recovers from a cerebral haemorrhage, is younger than she expected. The friendship of his charming niece Evelyn is unreliable, and Evelyn’s handsome husband Roberto is an unsettling influence. Gradually Connie becomes accustomed to their ways, while the warm sunshine and the lush landscape of Tuscany revive her spirit and reawaken her latent sexuality.
There is a dark side to life at the Castello. Evelyn’s neglect of her young daughter Nora horrifies Connie. Women and girls accused of witchcraft were murdered at a nearby beauty spot, so when she hears unearthly music in the dead of night she fears supernatural influences. When William’s recovery goes into reverse, Connie begins to doubt herself. Has she suffered lapses of memory? Will she be accused of trying to murder the man she has learned to care for?
This is the first Rachel Rhys novel I have read. I enjoyed it every bit as much as the psychological thrillers she wrote as Tammy Cohen. Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is exciting and suspenseful, with a well researched historical background and some fine travel writing. I was given a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
Murder Under the Tuscan Sun
Rachel Rhys has created a powerful and nuanced character in Connie. She is forty-nine years old, a tall, strong suffragette with nursing experience gained during WW1. It takes time for her to settle into being a paid servant. William North, the art expert she is employed to watch over while he recovers from a cerebral haemorrhage, is younger than she expected. The friendship of his charming niece Evelyn is unreliable, and Evelyn’s handsome husband Roberto is an unsettling influence. Gradually Connie becomes accustomed to their ways, while the warm sunshine and the lush landscape of Tuscany revive her spirit and reawaken her latent sexuality.
There is a dark side to life at the Castello. Evelyn’s neglect of her young daughter Nora horrifies Connie. Women and girls accused of witchcraft were murdered at a nearby beauty spot, so when she hears unearthly music in the dead of night she fears supernatural influences. When William’s recovery goes into reverse, Connie begins to doubt herself. Has she suffered lapses of memory? Will she be accused of trying to murder the man she has learned to care for?
This is the first Rachel Rhys novel I have read. I enjoyed it every bit as much as the psychological thrillers she wrote as Tammy Cohen. Murder Under the Tuscan Sun is exciting and suspenseful, with a well researched historical background and some fine travel writing. I was given a copy of this novel in return for an honest review.
Murder Under the Tuscan Sun
March 21, 2023
The Purgatory Poisoning by Rebecca Rogers
How do you solve your own murder when you’re already dead?
Purgatory (noun):
1. Where the dead are sent to atone.
2. A place of suffering or torment.
3. A youth hostel where the occupants play Scrabble and the mattresses are paper thin.
When Dave wakes up in his own personal purgatory, he’s shocked to discover he’s dead. And worse – he was murdered.
Heaven doesn’t know who did it so with the help of two rogue angels, Dave must uncover the truth.
Rebecca Rogers won the Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Prize 2021 with her debut novel, The Purgatory Poisonings. I understand the novel’s success, because the first page immediately grabbed and held my attention. Thirty-seven year old Dave unexpectedly finds himself at a youth hostel in St. Ives, Cornwall, in 1992. This strikes him as odd, because he lost consciousness in a friend’s dining room in North London in 2019. Gradually it dawns on Dave that he has died and landed in Purgatory, which is a ‘halfway house’ between Heaven and Hell. This unusual premise reminds me of a passage in Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn, where the main character arrives in Heaven to find a treasured gift waiting for him. It is the pencil case he was given for his sixth birthday, and it still has its ‘new smell’. Unfortunately Dave’s version of the afterlife does not smell so good. The hostel, where he spent a holiday with his parents and younger brother when he was ten, reeks of ‘damp clothes, bleach and burnt fish fingers’.
A technical glitch has disrupted God’s monitoring system, and vital information has gone missing. As a result Dave cannot move on to eternal happiness in Heaven unless he finds out who murdered him. Dave’s ‘sidekicks’ as he struggles to resolve this sticky situation are Gobe, a senior angel who in human form is the double of Michael Palin, and Arial, an apprentice ‘Switch’ angel whose task is to maintain God’s switchboard. Arial tries to run the murder investigation like his idea of a mortal detective, and some of the funniest moments arise from his passion for Eighties cop shows.
The Purgatory Poisonings will especially appeal to fans of fantasy humour, because its unusual premise gives Rogers plenty of scope for quirky plot twists. Her humour is in the style of Terry Pratchett, so Dave and the angels meander through the decades digging up apparently random clues which eventually guide them to a solution. Along the way the reader is introduced to many funny and sinister characters. They also experience Heaven’s broom cupboard, afternoon tea with Satanists in Dunstable and a mansion full of clocks.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley, for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
The Purgatory Poisoning
Purgatory (noun):
1. Where the dead are sent to atone.
2. A place of suffering or torment.
3. A youth hostel where the occupants play Scrabble and the mattresses are paper thin.
When Dave wakes up in his own personal purgatory, he’s shocked to discover he’s dead. And worse – he was murdered.
Heaven doesn’t know who did it so with the help of two rogue angels, Dave must uncover the truth.
Rebecca Rogers won the Comedy Women in Print Unpublished Prize 2021 with her debut novel, The Purgatory Poisonings. I understand the novel’s success, because the first page immediately grabbed and held my attention. Thirty-seven year old Dave unexpectedly finds himself at a youth hostel in St. Ives, Cornwall, in 1992. This strikes him as odd, because he lost consciousness in a friend’s dining room in North London in 2019. Gradually it dawns on Dave that he has died and landed in Purgatory, which is a ‘halfway house’ between Heaven and Hell. This unusual premise reminds me of a passage in Sweet Dreams by Michael Frayn, where the main character arrives in Heaven to find a treasured gift waiting for him. It is the pencil case he was given for his sixth birthday, and it still has its ‘new smell’. Unfortunately Dave’s version of the afterlife does not smell so good. The hostel, where he spent a holiday with his parents and younger brother when he was ten, reeks of ‘damp clothes, bleach and burnt fish fingers’.
A technical glitch has disrupted God’s monitoring system, and vital information has gone missing. As a result Dave cannot move on to eternal happiness in Heaven unless he finds out who murdered him. Dave’s ‘sidekicks’ as he struggles to resolve this sticky situation are Gobe, a senior angel who in human form is the double of Michael Palin, and Arial, an apprentice ‘Switch’ angel whose task is to maintain God’s switchboard. Arial tries to run the murder investigation like his idea of a mortal detective, and some of the funniest moments arise from his passion for Eighties cop shows.
The Purgatory Poisonings will especially appeal to fans of fantasy humour, because its unusual premise gives Rogers plenty of scope for quirky plot twists. Her humour is in the style of Terry Pratchett, so Dave and the angels meander through the decades digging up apparently random clues which eventually guide them to a solution. Along the way the reader is introduced to many funny and sinister characters. They also experience Heaven’s broom cupboard, afternoon tea with Satanists in Dunstable and a mansion full of clocks.
Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley, for an advance copy in return for an honest review.
The Purgatory Poisoning
March 13, 2023
Gin Palace by Tracy Whitwell
I have not yet read Tracy Whitwell’s first book, The Accidental Medium, but I easily picked up the back story to Gin Palace. In the first chapter, reluctant psychic Tanz auditions for a part in a TV drama. After telling the producer she thinks the script is rubbish she fears she has blown it. Fortunately, he agrees with her. As a result she gets the part and sets off for an extended stay in her home town of Newcastle. This establishes her personality as outspoken, honest and lucky. Later we discover that she is brave, up for a challenge and ready to help others, even when it puts her in grave danger.
The episode where Tanz gets to know the rest of the acting team is very funny. She struggles with her costume, her makeup and most of all the behaviour of bitchy Caroline. Because Whitwell is a trained actor, her descriptions of the less glamorous side of the profession are realistic. The fact that Tanz leads a chaotic lifestyle adds to the humour.
When Tanz’s friend Milo invites her to a ghost walk around old Newcastle she goes along to please him, in spite of her vow to stop listening to the dead – even her late friend Frank. At the Black Gate they have a scary encounter with the ghost of a disturbed young boy. As a result Tanz finds herself unravelling a violent crime from the distant past. Along the way we meet engaging characters like Gladys the healer, who helps Tanz to develop her own healing powers. As Tanz gets closer to solving the mystery the plot picks up pace. The resolution is both spine-chilling and emotionally satisfying.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for giving me an advance copy in return for an honest review.
Gin Palace
The episode where Tanz gets to know the rest of the acting team is very funny. She struggles with her costume, her makeup and most of all the behaviour of bitchy Caroline. Because Whitwell is a trained actor, her descriptions of the less glamorous side of the profession are realistic. The fact that Tanz leads a chaotic lifestyle adds to the humour.
When Tanz’s friend Milo invites her to a ghost walk around old Newcastle she goes along to please him, in spite of her vow to stop listening to the dead – even her late friend Frank. At the Black Gate they have a scary encounter with the ghost of a disturbed young boy. As a result Tanz finds herself unravelling a violent crime from the distant past. Along the way we meet engaging characters like Gladys the healer, who helps Tanz to develop her own healing powers. As Tanz gets closer to solving the mystery the plot picks up pace. The resolution is both spine-chilling and emotionally satisfying.
Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for giving me an advance copy in return for an honest review.
Gin Palace
March 9, 2023
Red Light and Bell
Red Light and Bell picks up the criminal career of Stanislav Novak where Bandwagon, Richard Cobourne’s first novel, left off. Ideally the books should be read in order, but they can also be enjoyed as stand-alones. Cobourne is skilled at providing his readers with subtle updates of the plot and personalities, so there is no need to flick back through the pages to check up on details.
The action centres on the comeback tour of Martha, a singer who was a major celebrity before she fell victim to drink and drugs. She is adored by her loyal fans, so she only needs a promoter with deep pockets to return her to the pinnacle of success. Novak steps up, but the money he stakes on Martha does not come from his own pockets. He is the frontman for villains who want to use the tour to extend their smuggling empires. At the end of Bandwagon Novak’s fate hangs in the balance, and the first chapters of Red Light and Bell set off a whole new chain of exciting events.
Cobourne, who has a successful career on the technical and production side of show business, makes use of his experience and celebrity contacts in writing his novels. All his characters are realistic and convincing. I especially liked journalist Danny Owen and PR Daisy de Villiers, because in spite of their expertise in hard-nosed industries, they are honest and caring human beings. Entertaining minor characters such as Sheila the caterer give the story a lighter side. For techies Cobourne’s books are a feast, because they take the reader backstage in top ranking venues like the O2 in London. Personally, I was hooked by details of the brands favoured by the ultra-wealthy. I had no idea it was possible to buy a £500 fountain pen.
I very much enjoyed both Red Light and Bell and Bandwagon.
The action centres on the comeback tour of Martha, a singer who was a major celebrity before she fell victim to drink and drugs. She is adored by her loyal fans, so she only needs a promoter with deep pockets to return her to the pinnacle of success. Novak steps up, but the money he stakes on Martha does not come from his own pockets. He is the frontman for villains who want to use the tour to extend their smuggling empires. At the end of Bandwagon Novak’s fate hangs in the balance, and the first chapters of Red Light and Bell set off a whole new chain of exciting events.
Cobourne, who has a successful career on the technical and production side of show business, makes use of his experience and celebrity contacts in writing his novels. All his characters are realistic and convincing. I especially liked journalist Danny Owen and PR Daisy de Villiers, because in spite of their expertise in hard-nosed industries, they are honest and caring human beings. Entertaining minor characters such as Sheila the caterer give the story a lighter side. For techies Cobourne’s books are a feast, because they take the reader backstage in top ranking venues like the O2 in London. Personally, I was hooked by details of the brands favoured by the ultra-wealthy. I had no idea it was possible to buy a £500 fountain pen.
I very much enjoyed both Red Light and Bell and Bandwagon.
February 27, 2023
A Brand to Die For
A Brand to Die For by Alex Pearl is a fast-paced and entertaining crime novel set in a creative advertising agency in 1983. In London’s Soho, competing agencies work hard and play harder, until they find themselves on the scene of a bizarre murder inquiry. When the action begins Angus Lovejoy, who was sent down from Charterhouse in disgrace, is working without much success as a copywriter for the high-flying Gordon Deedes Rutter agency. When creative director Magnus teams Angus up with art director Brian Finkle, a young genius straight out of St. Martins School of Art, the creative sparks begin to fly. Their first triumph is a campaign for solid fuel, which is much funnier than the name suggests. The kudos this success brings gives Brian and Angus credibility which supports them through some sticky situations. At last they find themselves involved in finding the guilty party in a murder where there is no evidence. This leads to a scary encounter with international organised crime. Along the way there is romance, hilarious interference from Brian’s family and a cast of quirky characters, some of whom deserve a novel to themselves.
What I liked best about A Brand to Die For was the close relationship and very funny banter between the leading characters. There are great descriptions of eccentric personalities, such as GDR’s aristocratic client, Lord Cecil Allard. I also enjoyed the imaginative account of the wild boar wars. Because the story is set forty years ago, some of the humour is a little out of line with current values, but I did not find anything offensive. There is a shortage of women in the creative roles, but that is simply a reflection of how things were at the time. I was pleased to see that Fay Weldon got a respectful mention.
A Brand to Die For
What I liked best about A Brand to Die For was the close relationship and very funny banter between the leading characters. There are great descriptions of eccentric personalities, such as GDR’s aristocratic client, Lord Cecil Allard. I also enjoyed the imaginative account of the wild boar wars. Because the story is set forty years ago, some of the humour is a little out of line with current values, but I did not find anything offensive. There is a shortage of women in the creative roles, but that is simply a reflection of how things were at the time. I was pleased to see that Fay Weldon got a respectful mention.
A Brand to Die For
Badgeland
At first sight Badgeland looks like a tempting feast of Boomer nostalgia. So far so good, but there’s a serious side to this delightful memoir. Alongside his witty reminiscences, the author presents a considered and accurate account of the political issues in the UK during the 70s and 80s, the condition of the working class at the time and their potential for social mobility. Steve Rayson began his career as a teenage Trotskyist selling political pamphlets on the streets of Swindon. He says this was ‘….the sink or swim school of sales training and better than any selling course’. Ultimately he became a successful entrepreneur, having been the first person in his family to attend university. He remained close to his solidly working class parents and siblings, but increasingly there were clashes of culture. These are hilariously depicted in accounts of nights out in a working mens’ club, where Rayson embarrassed his father by sharing his left-wing political opinions.
I can vouch for the accuracy of the information in Badgeland, because I was there. I ate Angel Delight, wore crimplene and watched the Wombles. For those too young to remember these delights, there’s a useful glossary in the back of the book. But Rayson did set me right about one thing. In 1981 Michael Foot, who was then the leader of the Labour Party, wore what the press called a ‘donkey jacket’ to the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph. I knew about this furore but I had never heard the truth of the matter. I was amazed to learn that the garment was in fact an expensive overcoat Foot’s wife bought from Jaeger. I’m not sure whether this reveals more about the British press or about Jaeger clothing, which went into administration in 2017.
As I write, strikes and picket lines are in the news once more and energy supply is again an issue, so it’s good to remember what trade unions are for. We also need a good laugh, and there are plenty of those in Badgeland.Badgeland: Memoir of a Labour Party Young Socialist in 1980s Britain
I can vouch for the accuracy of the information in Badgeland, because I was there. I ate Angel Delight, wore crimplene and watched the Wombles. For those too young to remember these delights, there’s a useful glossary in the back of the book. But Rayson did set me right about one thing. In 1981 Michael Foot, who was then the leader of the Labour Party, wore what the press called a ‘donkey jacket’ to the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph. I knew about this furore but I had never heard the truth of the matter. I was amazed to learn that the garment was in fact an expensive overcoat Foot’s wife bought from Jaeger. I’m not sure whether this reveals more about the British press or about Jaeger clothing, which went into administration in 2017.
As I write, strikes and picket lines are in the news once more and energy supply is again an issue, so it’s good to remember what trade unions are for. We also need a good laugh, and there are plenty of those in Badgeland.Badgeland: Memoir of a Labour Party Young Socialist in 1980s Britain
February 16, 2023
The Devil's Advisor
'The Devil's Advisor Lucy, the Devil, wants to retire. Brian, the Business Advisor, hates his job. When Brian’s jealous co-workers put him in Lucy’s cross-hairs, she makes him an offer he can’t refuse: work for her and increase the productivity in Hell by 50% or suffer the cruel fate planned by his peers. To sweeten the deal, Lucy offers Brian the chance to be her successor if he pulls it off. Brian reluctantly agrees and dives in with both feet to the bureaucratic nightmare of Hell. To make it out alive, Brian faces Death, God, and Lucy’s own twin children.’
In his satirical fantasy novel The Devil's Advisor, Brad Abdul presents a fascinating twist on our perception of Hell. He portrays it as a family firm with fluctuating resources, profits which must be balanced against losses and a truculent workforce. Legends about people selling their souls to the devil to satisfy their earthly desires take on a whole new meaning, as does the nature of damnation.
The humour in Abdul's tale arises from his comparison of the way Hell functions with the operational methods of an earthly business. In one hilarious chapter he is taken on a tour of the various departments of Hell, including sales and finance, to be introduced to his new colleagues. The character sketches are brilliant, especially Danika from marketing who is faced with the challenging task of making Hell sexy.
The Devil’s Advisor will be published this month by Flame Tree Press. I was given an advance review copy in return for an honest review. If I’m being honest, fantasy is not my favourite genre, but I enjoyed Abdul’s entertaining premise and dry humour. Fantasy enthusiasts will adore it.
In his satirical fantasy novel The Devil's Advisor, Brad Abdul presents a fascinating twist on our perception of Hell. He portrays it as a family firm with fluctuating resources, profits which must be balanced against losses and a truculent workforce. Legends about people selling their souls to the devil to satisfy their earthly desires take on a whole new meaning, as does the nature of damnation.
The humour in Abdul's tale arises from his comparison of the way Hell functions with the operational methods of an earthly business. In one hilarious chapter he is taken on a tour of the various departments of Hell, including sales and finance, to be introduced to his new colleagues. The character sketches are brilliant, especially Danika from marketing who is faced with the challenging task of making Hell sexy.
The Devil’s Advisor will be published this month by Flame Tree Press. I was given an advance review copy in return for an honest review. If I’m being honest, fantasy is not my favourite genre, but I enjoyed Abdul’s entertaining premise and dry humour. Fantasy enthusiasts will adore it.
Blood on the Tracks
Blood on the Tracks: The Comeback Trail 2 Whitefox publishers have generously sent me review copies of two books by Guy Hale in return for an honest review. In the first of The Comeback Trail Trilogy, entitled Killing Me Softly, the reader meets Jimmy Wayne, an unsuccessful singer-songwriter. In the run-down Nevada casino where he scratches out a living Jimmy competes with dancing girls for the attention of charmless punters. He plays dull covers, supported by loyal bandmates who have long since given up hope of stardom. The only spark of happiness in Jimmy’s downbeat life comes from his love affair with witty, clever Wendy. He wakes up one morning to find that during the night he has accidentally murdered Wendy and also written the best song he has ever produced. Soon Wendy appears to him in ghostly form and starts bossing him around, which adds a new dimension to events. Jimmy realises that it is the act of killing which inspires him to create his finest work. He never plans to kill people, they just seem to present themselves for slaughter. Fortunately, except for Wendy, they are all very bad people. So far, so morally wrong – but it makes for a great story.
In Hale’s second novel, Blood on the Tracks, Jimmy comes to terms with his dual status as reluctant serial killer and inspired songwriter. With his surprised but grateful band he heads for LA to make am album which he hopes will make him a star. Hale’s writing style is confident and relaxed, with many moments of humour. The plot is enjoyably unpredictable and there are many intriguing characters, including mystical John, Jimmy’s old school friend Kidd, sophisticated Englishman David and Ma, a terrifying septuagenarian killer. I especially liked Aksel, the ‘preparer’.
I highly recommend these funny, thoughtful, cleverly written novels and look forward to reading the final novel in the trilogy.
In Hale’s second novel, Blood on the Tracks, Jimmy comes to terms with his dual status as reluctant serial killer and inspired songwriter. With his surprised but grateful band he heads for LA to make am album which he hopes will make him a star. Hale’s writing style is confident and relaxed, with many moments of humour. The plot is enjoyably unpredictable and there are many intriguing characters, including mystical John, Jimmy’s old school friend Kidd, sophisticated Englishman David and Ma, a terrifying septuagenarian killer. I especially liked Aksel, the ‘preparer’.
I highly recommend these funny, thoughtful, cleverly written novels and look forward to reading the final novel in the trilogy.
February 10, 2023
All I Said Was True
Imran Mahmood opens his latest crime novel All I Said Was True with quotations about free will. The anonymous one, ‘I didn’t choose to have free will,’ illustrates the turmoil in the mind of the leading character, who is a lawyer suspected of murder. Mahmood specialises in unreliable narrators, and in my opinion Layla Mahoney is his most gut-twistingly complex protagonist so far. In view of her profession, the reader expects Layla to approach her desperate situation in a logical way. Instead she blames a stranger called Michael for the stabbing, describing him as ‘...a thing with a hundred faces’. The police check out the scanty information she gives them, but they cannot find any proof Michael exists. That’s when the reader begins to suspect Layla is lying. Doubts about her honesty become even stronger when she is suspended from her job.
At this point the plot shows signs of becoming a police procedural, but as it turns out there is nothing methodical or conventional about Layla’s narrative. With only forty-eight hours to convince the police of her innocence, she sets out to find the mysterious Michael. The way their paths cross is almost supernatural, which makes it even more difficult to know who is telling the truth. Also, Layla seems to be unable to accept that whatever happens, the trauma she is suffering means her relationship with her adored husband Russell is bound to change. At the same time, her mother is ill and issues arising from her father’s desertion of the family are coming to a head. In the midst of trauma, she becomes oddly obsessed with a tiny defect in her kitchen and wreaks havoc with her attempts to fix it. Is she reacting to the pressure she is under, or is guilt wearing her down?
Mahmood’s skilfully woven tale, about the choices we make and how responsible we are for our actions, grabbed my attention on page one and held it until the end.
All I Said Was True
At this point the plot shows signs of becoming a police procedural, but as it turns out there is nothing methodical or conventional about Layla’s narrative. With only forty-eight hours to convince the police of her innocence, she sets out to find the mysterious Michael. The way their paths cross is almost supernatural, which makes it even more difficult to know who is telling the truth. Also, Layla seems to be unable to accept that whatever happens, the trauma she is suffering means her relationship with her adored husband Russell is bound to change. At the same time, her mother is ill and issues arising from her father’s desertion of the family are coming to a head. In the midst of trauma, she becomes oddly obsessed with a tiny defect in her kitchen and wreaks havoc with her attempts to fix it. Is she reacting to the pressure she is under, or is guilt wearing her down?
Mahmood’s skilfully woven tale, about the choices we make and how responsible we are for our actions, grabbed my attention on page one and held it until the end.
All I Said Was True
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