Another book I listened to mostly while sunbathing. Someone on Amazon described it as ‘chick-lit written by a man’ and I can see what they mean. It’s funny in places, as well as a bit gooey, perceptive and contemporary; a good mix. The cognitive disorder aspect was fascinating. The book makes a decent light read.

I wanted a light listen while sunbathing in the garden so thought I’d give this a try. I didn’t expect it to be but it was compulsive and sometimes very dark listening. It’s about a woman who was a bully at school who comes back into contact with the girl she bullied in their 30’s. The story of the past is told interspersed with the present. As the story unfolds, the main character develops into a better person as she comes to terms with the past and tries to repent for it in the present. Sadly I did guess the mysterious reason why the main character’s family felt so indebted, but it’s still a good listen. There is quite a lot of self-harm mentioned in the book. I’m not sure how I felt about it.

It brought back memories of bullying behaviour at primary school. Certainly there were times when I was picked on, but I remember making fun of someone’s weight with another girl and I also remember a girl called Vicky who was picked on by lots of people and I never did anything about it. She could have been the bullied girl in this book and that makes me feel very uncomfortable.

I read this a few years ago but, since it was this month’s reading group book, I read it again. Of course, having read it before, it didn’t have as much shock impact as it did the first time but I was still struck by how beautifully written it is. The scene near the end where Kathy and Tommy speak to Madame had my heart thumping loudly. The sheer pathos of the ending brought tears to my eyes. This is a suspenseful story of supressed emotions and the meaning of friendship. I highly recommend it.