Book review: Blurred Lines by Hannah Begbie
Rape cases are difficult to read about and must be even harder to write about but this one is sensitively handled and highlights the extremely difficult decisions potential witnesses have to make before involving themselves in a trial.
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When Becky stumbles on her boss having sex with a woman who isn’t his wife, she’s horrified but keeps her counsel – she owes Matthew so much for all he’s done for her career. But when the same woman accuses him of rape and asks for the witness to come forward, Becky doesn’t know what to do.
Was what she saw rape? Or is this a young actress looking to get ahead? And can Becky separate her own traumatic past from the present?
As she attempts to untangle these blurred lines, she must risk everything to find the truth…
In most rape cases there aren’t any eyewitnesses. In this case there is one but Becky’s not at all sure about what she saw, which leaves her with a huge moral dilemma. If the sex was consensual, this will destroy an innocent man’s life and she will also be throwing away her own future just as her career is finally about to take off.
Her idea for a film inspired by the Greek tragedy Medea, about a woman who avenges her husband in a horrific way, has been taken up by Matthew who has the power to make it a huge success. But if she agrees to Amber’s request to support her version of events and Matthew is found guilty Becky will lose this chance of a lifetime.
The story switches back and forth between past and present timelines, giving us a greater insight into Becky’s thinking and behaviour.
This is a thought-provoking, beautifully written, extremely uncomfortable read that feels relevant. Although I guessed the truth, I really liked the way it was revealed and the story kept me glued to the end.
Blurred Lines is published on 20 August 2020 by HarperCollins and is available in Kindle, paperback and audio book versions here
Thanks to the author and publisher for an advance copy via NetGalley with no obligation to review.
