Dark Side of the Moonstruck

This post is likely to prove a challenge.  It's always tough to talk about tales with twists.  After all, you're effectively saying that something's great without being able to tell anyone why!  Anyway, let's give it a go...

I recently finished the latest book by the superlative thriller writer, Erin Kelly, 'He Said / She Said'.

'He Said / She Said'
by Erin Kelly
(Hodder & Stoughton, 2017)

'He Said / She Said' is a story of trust, truth and perspectives.  During a festival celebrating the 1999 solar eclipse in Cornwall, Laura witnesses a brutal assault.  But was it rape?  The victim Beth is silent while her attacker Jamie says it was consensual.  As Laura sends her boyfriend Kit to fetch help, she can't begin to imagine the terrible events that have been set in motion and how all their lives are about to change forever.

As the title implies, this is a story about viewpoints in relationships.  What the title doesn't tell you is that you can't trust Erin Kelly!  She lets you view the constellations and get your bearings, before re-aligning the stars and fortunes of everyone involved.  Can't help but think of her as more conjurer than writer, deftly playing on your expectations and misdirecting you, ready for the big reveal, when pieces you didn't even know were missing slot into place.

It would be easy to assume that this novel is a courtroom drama, but that's only one part of it.  'He Said / She Said' is a taut, gripping and chilling tale of how far people will go to protect themselves and their reputations.  By degrees, each character becomes more than what they appear, until you find yourself wondering how far you too would go in those circumstances.

If you enjoy thrillers and crime novels, I thoroughly recommend this book.  For a while, 'He Said / She Said' was available far too cheaply (99p as an ebook via Amazon and £5 as a hardback in a number of shops, for goodness sake.), but don't let that, or anything else, deceive you.  Put simply, it is absolutely brilliant.

Now, what next...

Related Links

'The Poison Tree' by Erin Kelly
BBC Radio 2 Book Club