Book Review

 

    Whatever you love
    by Louise Doughty


 

 

Although this is marketed as a thriller I would qualify that description; yes, there is an element of ‘what happens next’ and ‘where is this leading to’ but its real power is in showing you raw pain and overwhelming grief. A young daughter dies in a hit and run accident – a terrible tragedy and a story we hear regularly on TV news. We know this is heartbreaking, but this book takes you inside that event and you get a glimpse of what it must actually feel like to go through this horror. The book is written in the first person from the perspective of the mother, Laura, and the story told in parts alternating between before and after Betty’s death. I found it powerful and riveting, not sentimental - although the situation is incredibly sad the author doesn’t use cheap tricks to hit on your emotions and make you cry (in fact, I didn’t cry at all and I cry at books a LOT). Three words? Desolate, haunting, sorrowful. Highly recommended.

 

Review by Jayne, Operations Manager

 

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Book Review

 

Our Endless Numbered Days

by Claire Fuller

 

Our Endless Numbered Days is a quick yet dark read. It tells the story of Peggy who is just 8 years old when she is taken by her father from her home in London to a remote cabin in a European forest. Peggy struggles to survive believing that she and her father are the last two survivors in the world.

This is a gripping story which builds in intensity until the very end. The chilling twist is all at once horrifying and shocking – hair raising stuff!

 

 

Review by Saran, Community Librarian

 

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