The writing in this book reminds me a great deal of Liane Moriarty; no wonder Liane provides a recommendation on the cover. Though the end of Sophie McCarthy is gripping, it’s less of a thriller and more an exploration of one devastating accident and its consequences, from several perspectives. Sounds a little Truly Madly Guilty, doesn’t it? But in fact it’s quite different and, dare I say it, better than that particular Moriarty.
Sophie McCarthy, an obsessive high achiever, now lives in constant pain following a car accident caused by the negligence of Aidan Ryan. While Sophie was in hospital recovering from the accident, she and Aidan acted on their unexpected attraction to one another, and now they live together. Which is a bit controversial because Aidan was married when they met and has a young child, Jasmin. And Jasmin is going through some difficulties at home. And Sophie secretly loathes children in general and resents Jasmin in particular. And Sophie’s father is incandescent with rage towards Aidan because of the injuries he inflicted on Sophie, and he has a burning desire to see Aidan pay. And and and… underlying it is all is the fact that the human heart and mind are complicated places, and sometimes lives intertwine in ways that become toxic.
The central question is this; is Sophie McCarthy missing some pieces as a result of the accident, or was she missing some essential pieces of what it means to be a decent human being well before then? An incident from Sophie’s past can perhaps supply an answer….
I love that no one in this book is a complete villain (though Sophie arguably comes close); it’s just a collection of human beings dealing with life and one another. And it’s very, very good.
