~*An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire*~
4.5 Stars
First off I want to thank Netgalley and the Pan Macmillan AU publishing company for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
In the small town of .Strathdee in Australia the body of sweet,young Bella Michaels is found brutally raped and murdered. Turning the whole town on it's head and altering the life of her older sister Chris forever. The novel is told through the first person voice of Chris and through a third person account of Sydney reporter May who is in town to write a story.
Chris' voice is heartbreaking. She is a strong, tough and honest character who never tries to run from who she is. The grief she feels is overwhelming and we feel every bit of it. May is one of the few reporters that is not there .to exploit but is more or less there to write and actual story of Bella and what happened to her.
This wonderful written novel is raw and honest. It talks of what it is like to be a woman. How as women we live in a world where anything like this could happen to any one of us at any time. Women are not afforded the expectation of safety that a man has. Walking down a street after dark is dangerous. Every slowed car or cat call can be an actual threat. The double standard is also a theme throughout the book. If a woman makes the choice to bring a man home she is thought of differently, if she turns you down she is a tease.
I wanted to give this 5 stars but was held back slightly by the ending. Though this was an excellently written novel with strong engaging characters the ending just left me feeling a little bit flat and disappointed. I would say that this is less of a thriller or mystery and more of a character study with a murder at the backdrop. I would definitely recommend this book just know going in that this is not a mystery.
First off I want to thank Netgalley and the Pan Macmillan AU publishing company for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.
In the small town of .Strathdee in Australia the body of sweet,young Bella Michaels is found brutally raped and murdered. Turning the whole town on it's head and altering the life of her older sister Chris forever. The novel is told through the first person voice of Chris and through a third person account of Sydney reporter May who is in town to write a story.
Chris' voice is heartbreaking. She is a strong, tough and honest character who never tries to run from who she is. The grief she feels is overwhelming and we feel every bit of it. May is one of the few reporters that is not there .to exploit but is more or less there to write and actual story of Bella and what happened to her.
This wonderful written novel is raw and honest. It talks of what it is like to be a woman. How as women we live in a world where anything like this could happen to any one of us at any time. Women are not afforded the expectation of safety that a man has. Walking down a street after dark is dangerous. Every slowed car or cat call can be an actual threat. The double standard is also a theme throughout the book. If a woman makes the choice to bring a man home she is thought of differently, if she turns you down she is a tease.
I wanted to give this 5 stars but was held back slightly by the ending. Though this was an excellently written novel with strong engaging characters the ending just left me feeling a little bit flat and disappointed. I would say that this is less of a thriller or mystery and more of a character study with a murder at the backdrop. I would definitely recommend this book just know going in that this is not a mystery.
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