I was really rooting for her...
The victim: Eighteen-year-old Janie leaving home for a new life.
The criminal: World-famous rockstar, Robbie, who harbours a shocking secret.
The protector: Witness support officer, Vanessa, desperate to right the wrongs of her past.
They tried to bury that fateful day. Now it’s back to haunt them.
. . . AND THEN THERE’S THE TRUTH.
I want to start by saying that I enjoyed this book, I read most of it in a morning and was REALLY rooting for one of the characters. But, I wasn't rooting for The Victim! I was more touched by the life of The Protector... And, it also wasn't what I expected as the three stories of the one version of the truth wasn't quite what you get... However, I shall too explain why you should read it further down...
Firstly, I will go into details about the tag: One day. Three Stories. Who do you believe?
There IS a day in question, but rather than a day, it's a fleeting moment of time that changes two lives, forever. Not a day. Then there are the two different perspectives that provide information about this day...neither are reliable (something I like) but actually they agree, they don't disagree until one is challenged. So, it wasn't about who I believed...besides, the third person - also connected - wasn't there at the event to provide information about it first hand.
I think this tag needs changing. It WAS what made the book catch my eye and therefore didn't deliver what I had it expected it to. In my case, I still enjoyed it but some readers may feel cheated by this and I strive to be honest in my reviews.
Also, I feel that me rooting more for Vanessa than Janie seems odd...perhaps this was because the Janie sections were so short whereas I was invested in Vanessa's past, present and future. Her part of the book alone has me hoping that this is turned into a TV show - perhaps even for what could happen beyond the book!
I did, however, like the fact that Janie 'speaks' to the reader and this reminded me of a character in The Red House (Roz Watkins - see my previous review) and I think the use of italics helped her sections to stand out from the other characters.
I have to say that I love a murder mystery and this isn't that, but I am glad I read it as there are mysteries aplenty along with twists and 'things' that all tie up by the end. I'll just say 'things' to not over-spoil!
My least favourite character was The Criminal. I didn't care if Robbie went down or not and I suppose, in this sense, I was partly rooting for Janie and believing her version of events. However, as Robbie's story continued I also was invested in his outcome after more information is known. It could come down to morals and how you would react in such a situation and if fear (and something that I won't say - spoiler avoidance) are involved...
I didn't like the prison sections - I have to say that they were well-written and informative, I just was so into the Vanessa sections that I wanted to get back to those!
I also wasn't too sure about the addition of The Judge sections, but I can see why they were needed.
Overall, it was thought-provoking story with several issues raised in the book that really makes you think. I hadn't read this author before, but I will again.
I think Corry has created characters with layers, created her scenes and locations with appropriate detail and created a tale that, as I said before, would transfer very well to screen.
If you like books where the life and story of a character interests you, then this book is for YOU!
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