St. Martin's Press | June 2017 | 400 pgs
Source: Library
As the title indicates, this is a psychological thriller about the different implications of each individual the way they see things and how far one would go to save oneself and to make others believe his/her side of the story.
Summer, 1999. Kit is an avid eclipse chaser. He is the kind of person who would travel to anywhere to witness and capture that phenomenon of nature; and his girlfriend Laura follows him to a festival in Cornwall for this purpose. This is Laura's first and Kit shares her excitement as well. However, after they've witnessed that grand moment Laura stumbles upon an act which would lead her and Kit as witnesses in a trial. While Kit only sees what happened after what Laura has witnessed, it is a matter of trust and then it's Laura's words against the perpetrator during the trial since the statement of the accuser isn't clear. The battle rages on and finally a sentence is announced.
Fifteen years after that unforgettable aftermath, Laura and Kit continues their life as a married couple but that fear of being stalked and having the past catches up on them never cease. As the story progresses, their fear intensifies and thereafter there is a change of the dynamics and momentum which would result in a twisty conclusion.
He Said/She Said is an outstanding literary psychological thriller I've read thus far this year. The author sure knows how to build the intensity/suspense gradually and that shows in this book because it was a slow read from the beginning (I almost gave up at some point but now looking back I was so, SO glad I didn't!) and when the real excitement begins there's no stopping it and you couldn't help but to follow that ride. And the characters are well developed and is narrated by Laura and Kit between the present and the past alternatively. Aside from the suspense we also see the dynamic between Laura and Kit and how they cope under some circumstances. I've not read anything like this (that excitement and that tension!) in a while and this deserves a 5-star for the well-drawn characters, the plot and not to mention that killer twist which really took me by surprise (a really good twist and not just because.) Highly recommended!
Summer, 1999. Kit is an avid eclipse chaser. He is the kind of person who would travel to anywhere to witness and capture that phenomenon of nature; and his girlfriend Laura follows him to a festival in Cornwall for this purpose. This is Laura's first and Kit shares her excitement as well. However, after they've witnessed that grand moment Laura stumbles upon an act which would lead her and Kit as witnesses in a trial. While Kit only sees what happened after what Laura has witnessed, it is a matter of trust and then it's Laura's words against the perpetrator during the trial since the statement of the accuser isn't clear. The battle rages on and finally a sentence is announced.
Fifteen years after that unforgettable aftermath, Laura and Kit continues their life as a married couple but that fear of being stalked and having the past catches up on them never cease. As the story progresses, their fear intensifies and thereafter there is a change of the dynamics and momentum which would result in a twisty conclusion.
He Said/She Said is an outstanding literary psychological thriller I've read thus far this year. The author sure knows how to build the intensity/suspense gradually and that shows in this book because it was a slow read from the beginning (I almost gave up at some point but now looking back I was so, SO glad I didn't!) and when the real excitement begins there's no stopping it and you couldn't help but to follow that ride. And the characters are well developed and is narrated by Laura and Kit between the present and the past alternatively. Aside from the suspense we also see the dynamic between Laura and Kit and how they cope under some circumstances. I've not read anything like this (that excitement and that tension!) in a while and this deserves a 5-star for the well-drawn characters, the plot and not to mention that killer twist which really took me by surprise (a really good twist and not just because.) Highly recommended!
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This one has been getting a lot of praise and I'm so glad to hear you gave it 5 stars! I can't wait to read it. Sounds like there's great suspense in this one.
Thanks for the warning about the slow start to this one...and that it's worth it to keep reading. It's hard to find five-star reads lately. I'm glad they're still out there. :)
Iliana - Definitely a lot of suspense going on with this one; and I loved the thrill. Hope you enjoy it!
Lark - Yes, I figured I need to mention about the slow start because I've seen a few readers who said they gave up partly it was slow. However I also read some reviews which raved about it so I knew I've to continue reading it. :)
Yes I agree it's hard to find a 5-star read lately and I'm glad I've found a few this year.
I have this one! I read The Burning Air by Kelly a few years ago, and it was a great psychological novel. More recently I read Broadchurch--she took the BBC series and turned it into a novel that I really enjoyed, especially as I had not watched the television series.
Jenclair - I've to check out her previous books. And I hope you'll enjoy this one! :)