To be honest, I’ve had really good luck with the books I’ve read so far in 2019. I am either really too easily pleased or I’ve somehow managed to pick up books that really do speak to me in the right way. This one is one of those books that will not take forever to get through (I got through it in less than a day). The chapters are kept short and the book reads really fast. The Accident by C. L. Taylor is a first of hers I’ve ever read and I was not left disappointed.
The Accident – C.L. Taylor
4 out of 5
Published 2014 by Avon
Number of pages: 395
Purchased from eBay
Blurb: Sue Jackson has the perfect family but when her teenage daughter Charlotte deliberately steps in front of a bus and ends up in a come she has to face a very dark reality.
Retracing her daughter’s steps she finds a horrifying entry in Charlotte’s diary and is forced to head deep into her daughter’s private world. In her hunt to discover the truth, Sue begins to mistrust everyone close to her and is compelled to delve into the murky depths of her own past.
Sue will do anything to protect her daughter. But what if she is the real reason that Charlotte is in danger?
My thoughts: The narrative alternates between Susan’s diary entries some 15 years before and her present struggles with finding out what really happened to her daughter.
I would say that the pacing was a little slow for me, but by taking a peek into Susan’s awful past in an abusive relationship kept the hairs on my neck standing up throughout.
I think some of the situations poor Suzy found herself in were a bit cringe (like the scene at the nightclub) and I would have wanted the book to have ended with Susan standing up to her past herself. I can understand why the author didn’t want her to stoop to James’ level but it would have been the cherry on the cake.
Gosh I really wish James’ character didn’t exist in real life, but I’ve seen far too many true crime documentaries to know that this happens to too many women (and men!). If you suffer from any form of domestic abuse, be it physical or mental, please do not suffer in silence.
All in all, I enjoyed the book. Not bad for a first thriller and I look forward to reading her other books, too. (I have a few waiting to be read on my shelf).
Have you read any of her books? Which is your favourite?
