2019: Julianne is preparing a family dinner when her son comes to her and says he's found something on his iPad. Something so terrible, it will turn Julianne's world into a nightmare and make her question everything about her marriage and what type of man her husband is or is pretending to be.
1990: Holly is a fresher student at Oxford University. Out of her depth and nervous about her surroundings, she falls into an uneasy friendship with a group of older students from the upper echelons of society and begins to develop feelings for one in particular. He's confident, quiet, attractive and seems to like her too. But as the year progresses, her friends' behaviour grows steadily more disconcerting and Holly begins to realise she might just be a disposable pawn in a very sinister game.
A devastating secret has simmered beneath the surface for over twenty-five years. Now it's time to discover the truth. But what if you're afraid of what you might find?***
[I'm reaching for a Mulberry purse when I feel someone standing close behind me]***
(Avon Books, 7 February 2019, 384 pages, ebook, ARC from @AvonBooksUK via # NetGalley)
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This is a very different book from the one I was expecting. I thought this was going to be a psychological thriller judging by the blurb and title. The book interweaves two different stories, one set in 1991 and one set in current times. I love books with different narratives and multiple story arcs' and this works really well in this book, deftly moving back and forth between the two eras. I really felt for Julianne whose seemingly perfect life completely unravels and things get very dark and seedy. The book is dark and disturbing, focusing on gang rape and a hint of homophobia and racism. Hats off to the author though for doing a great job of tackling such disturbing subject matter without repulsing me. The shocking events are crucial to the story and not just shoe-horned in for shock value. A Version of the Truth is hard hitting.
