Rachel Reviews: The Half Paper Moon by Melissa Ingoldsby

It's a privilege to be asked to review a book. It says something about the author's confidence in you to deliver a fair assessment of their book, them having read what you write about others.

I felt deeply complimented on being asked by Melissa to read her book the first time and I feel the same at being asked again. Here is my review.

***

I have a confession to make: I've already read the sequel to this. Don't think too badly of me for reading these in the wrong order. There is an argument to say that reading this book, knowing what happens in the next one, may have a bearing on my perception of the action in this one. I may already know too much...

However, what I can tell you is this story is about lost love. Not the kind where someone chooses to leave but in this instance, the keen loss of someone when they are cruelly taken from you by another's hand and there is doubt about what has actually happened to them.

Barbara is the victim; Connie is the love left behind. Barbara didn't deserve to die and as the story in this book reveals itself, we realise that a good person has been taken and the circumstances of her death mean that those closest to her are required to relive elements of it as they are called to testify at her trial. This is obviously traumatic and Ingoldsby conveys the discomfort of this admirably throughout.

One of the key strengths of this book that is presented is the unfathomable pull that individuals sometimes feel towards someone, even though they may realise in their core that they are not good for us. At the centre of both this book and the sequel is the character of John, whose charisma and allure seem to draw people to him: to help him and support him, to essentially be there for him. There is just something about him...but what is he really?

Ingoldsby takes us through the uncovering of what happened to Barbara with flashbacks to conversations and interactions, and through the trial testimony. There is the sense that Barbara is known to Connie and her friends really well but Ingoldsby's narrative shows us that even the people closest to us have hidden facets to their character and that you can never really know someone completely.

It is well-paced and the dialogue and interactions between characters as well as the trial scenes are all well-evoked, as is the pointlessness of it all and the ripples sent out into the lives of those left behind after a catastrophic event.

Worth a read.

Rachel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

My review of Atonement is also available, the sequel to The Half Paper Moon: