Alison has it all. A doting husband, adorable daughter, and a career on the rise - she's just been given her first murder case to defend. But all is never as it seems...
Just one more night. Then I'll end it.
Alison drinks too much. She's neglecting her family. And she's having an affair with a colleague whose taste for pushing boundaries may be more than she can handle.
I did it. I killed him. I should be locked up.
Alison's client doesn't deny that she stabbed her husband - she wants to plead guilty. And yet something about her story is deeply amiss. Saving this woman may be the first step to Alison saving herself.
I'm watching you. I know what you're doing.
But someone knows Alison's secrets. Someone who wants to make her pay for what she's done, and who won't stop until she's lost everything....
Blood Orange is the second majorly-hyped thriller that I read this year, but differently from The Silent Patient, I REALLY liked this one.
The book starts in full force with a protagonist who is easy to loathe: a terrible mother, a selfish woman, an unfaithful wife and a pathetic lover, but most of all an alcoholic. The author gives us from the very first pages a clear picture of what Alison's several flaws are and I was so sure that I would have hated the protagonist until I didn't. What I really liked in Blood Orange, in fact, is the great set of complex characters the author created and how through the book we explore their weaknesses and personal growth until they each find a way to make peace with their obsessions. Alison 's voice was incredibly interesting because the author managed to adopt a style that perfectly described her protagonist's condition: a fast-paced narration , full of short-sentences and just bits of images as if we're actually looking at slides of Alison's life, as if she's a spectator and not a protagonist in what she's living. And that's exactly what it is.
The slightly clearer moments are when she's working. As mentioned in the synopsis, Alison's story is tightly linked to that of Madeleine, a client that stabbed her husband and doesn't want to deny her responsibility in the murder. When reading the book blurp, I had a feeling that the thriller would have revolved around the two of them discovering an unthinkable connection to each other's lives but I was disappointed that the case does not actually have all the importance I thought it would. I understand now, that Madeleine is used as a mirror of Alison's choices and as a way for her to accept her burdens but still, I was not satisfied by its role, as it did not really blend with the central story.
I have to admit that even this time, I did foresee something about the ending and one of my first notes about this book is " Something is definitely off about Carl". I understood very quickly the role he had in making Alison miserable BUT I think no one could have predicted the ending ..it's just too sick and unthinkable and it is exactly what I love in thrillers!
So good job Harriet Tyce, you definitely have earned a spot on my thriller shelves and I'm really looking forward to discover what you might come up with on your next book!
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