Apple Tree Year – Louise Doughty
This was a book club booked, which I didn’t read in time. I felt so guilty I read it in time for the next meeting. It is a court room drama – not my normal choice, but that is why you join a book club to read different things.
Here is the blurb …
Yvonne Carmichael sits in the witness box. The charge is murder. Before all of this, she was happily married, a successful scientist, a mother of two. Now she’s a suspect, squirming under fluorescent lights and the penetrating gaze of the alleged accomplice who’s sitting across from her, watching: a man who’s also her lover. As Yvonne faces hostile questioning, she must piece together the story of her affair with this unnamed figure who has charmed and haunted her. This is a tale of sexual intrigue, ruthless urges, and danger, which has blindsided her from a seemingly innocuous angle. Here in the courtroom, everything hinges on one night in a dark alley called Apple Tree Yard.
Yvonne is a terribly unreliable narrator – even at the end I wasn’t sure of her guilt or innocence. That was the point though – trials are about stories and the winner is the side that tell the most convincing story. I also had little to no sympathy for Yvonne – was she really that naive? Or, once again, was it part of the story she was telling? This was a compelling story of lust and deceit (so much lying – to themselves, each other, their spouses, etc.).
I did enjoy reading this and it was a change from my usual reading fare, but I would still prefer my characters to be more likable.
More reviews …
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/jun/16/apple-tree-yard-doughty-review
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