Changes

The day a new [[:Category:Mary Kubica|Mary Kubica]] arrives is a good day indeed. Every book she writes strikes a wonderful balance between suburban American life, family or relationship drama, and a mystery waiting to be solved. This latest title is no exception, and it was a pleasure to read, a true page -turner that kept me hooked. Told between Clara's voice now, and Nick's voice then, the story starts from two ends and rushes towards the centre where past and present collide and we find out exactly what happened that day on the road. That's only part of the puzzle though, and there are some things we learn from Nick that Clara never finds out. This was such an inventive way to develop the story because you wait for Clara to learn what's gone on but ultimately see that there are some secrets Nick truly has taken with him to his grave.

On the surface, it is a distressing story. With the love of her life dead, her nest egg dwindling, and her parents' health diminishing, Clara has too much for one person to handle. But as it takes time for things to hit you properly, for now , she ''can'' cope and the only thing that matters is finding out what happened to Nick and who else was involved, who she can blame, who she can direct her anger towards. The fact that she has just given birth is an enabler. She has the time to spend her days investigating, as Felix is portable and neither she nor Maisie have work or school commitments yet. My experience makes me think there is a touch of post-partum psychosis in play too, but this isn't addressed and she is simply dismissed as a hysterical widow by the (male) police who do not humour her conspiracy theories.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest visit to Kubica's Chicago-land and would highly recommendit. My thanks go to the publishers for sending us a copy to review. In addition to Kubica's back catalogue, we would also recommend [[Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney]]. Honestly, people are telling lies all over the place these days, and it's making for some great reads. We also enjoyed [[Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica]].