ellijaeger

This was a bookclub read and would not be my usual choice in a book as I am not a fan of Anita Shreve and having read the blurb on this book thought the story sounded different and interesting. The story is about a sex scandal involving 3 boys and one 14yr old girl and is told from the prospective of all those involved and affected by this scandal. The opening few pages shocked me and I wondered how Shreve would handle the rest of the story how in depth she would go with her characters and their reasons for their actions. But unforunatly that is about as much impact this book had on me and I was so disappointed with the developments of this story. The story is told from several characters points of view and while I loved this idea I felt it did not work as Shreve's characters were never fully developed and as I thought I was getting to know one a little better it was on the next chapter and the next character and I was left feeling I needed more information. I think to be honest I never really cared about any of the characters to make me have any great love for the story. I wanted answers and never seemed to get them and felt the book fell short especially on the characters of Sienna and Mikes wife. On the plus side this novel really makes you think What If...... it was my daughter, my son, my neighbour how would I feel, how would I deal or cope with the situation, I kept thinking the whole way through the story that every action has a consequence and how you deal with the consequences can change the rest of you life and there is no going back. A very thought provoking novel and a great round the table bookclub discussion book but for me not a page turner and not enough character development and therefore a 3 star read.

2022-11-14 17:14