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ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
5.0
I wrote it my own way. I made it a thriller, a horror, a memoir, a noir. I used my college essays, emails and other found documents to ground the story in truth--they're the closest thing I have to "evidence," proof that my memories, however few, are real.
What does it mean when the worst happens and you can't remember it? A drunk teen-age girl is given a lift home by two members of the lacrosse team. She only found out what happened in the car because the boys bragged about it. A man goes to an isolated mountain cabin for a final bender before he gives up drinking, for real this time. He doesn't know how the accident happened, but he'll carry the evidence of it with him for the rest of his life. A wealthy entrepreneur hires a woman to ghost write his motivational self-help book.
Kate Reed Petty uses the tropes of different genres and a variety of characters to explore memory and how an event can shape a life even if the person doesn't remember what happened. I enjoy novels that use the conventions of genre to dig more deeply than genre usually permits, and this one was so well done. There's a central story that emerges and as the different seemingly disparate threads come together, the novel twists into different things as it goes. There are screenplays written by middle-schoolers, emails, and sections that fall into different genres, that combine to form a cohesive, and very interesting whole. I'll be thinking about this one for some time to come.
What does it mean when the worst happens and you can't remember it? A drunk teen-age girl is given a lift home by two members of the lacrosse team. She only found out what happened in the car because the boys bragged about it. A man goes to an isolated mountain cabin for a final bender before he gives up drinking, for real this time. He doesn't know how the accident happened, but he'll carry the evidence of it with him for the rest of his life. A wealthy entrepreneur hires a woman to ghost write his motivational self-help book.
Kate Reed Petty uses the tropes of different genres and a variety of characters to explore memory and how an event can shape a life even if the person doesn't remember what happened. I enjoy novels that use the conventions of genre to dig more deeply than genre usually permits, and this one was so well done. There's a central story that emerges and as the different seemingly disparate threads come together, the novel twists into different things as it goes. There are screenplays written by middle-schoolers, emails, and sections that fall into different genres, that combine to form a cohesive, and very interesting whole. I'll be thinking about this one for some time to come.
susiegorden's review against another edition
3.0
It was fun. I'm not sure the so-called "twist" at the end works 100 per cent? But it's a pretty good book and worthwhile read in the midst of the Me, Too movement.
oddmara's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this book with a feeling of confusion. I also finished reading the last 2/3 of it in the same day after trying my best not to dnf it for its first 1/3.
First of all, I've never in my entire life read a more misleading synopsis for a story. The synopsis almost makes you believe that Nick and Alice have any kind of relationship when they've actually never met in real life. Nick isn't even a real person (I mean, he is, but not in the context presented in Alice's story), and it leads you to believe that this is a story happening during someone's teenage years when that is literally the shortest part of the story.
I honestly believe I would have been even more intrigued by the book if it had a synopsis that actually presented its story as it really is: the life of a woman being destroyed by something that might have happened to her, by a lie that might actually be the truth. Even when so much worse happens to her, especially her time with Q, being poisoned by him to force her to stay by his side, almost getting murdered by him, being cut off from all of her friends and family, the one that had the biggest impact on her, the one that she surrounds her entire narrative around, is something that she doesn't remember.
The uncertainty follows through the entirety of the book, and when we finally get to the reveal, to her finding out that nothing happened, that she wasn't raped, that it was all a rumour started by dumb teens (and even then, this account was given by Richard who is not a trusted source by any means), we feel that soul crushing pain that she feels: she'd lost and been through so much, allowed herself to suffer and grief and hurt for years, for something that has never happened.
In itself, the storytelling is amazing because it combines all these accounts of Alice's life and forces you to put the pieces together, and still leaves you with questions when it's done. It's a story within a story within a story. How much of Alice's narrative is real? How much of it was her coping through storytelling? We have no clue.
I think I would have loved this book.
Sadly, I didn't.
I loved absolutely everything I listed above, I do genuinely believe that it was such an amazing story and way of telling it, however I just couldn't empathise with Nick.
The main narrator of this story, the bystander to Alice's life and pain, an alcoholic idiot who might start to gain your sympathy later in the book, but whom I couldn't stand for the first third of it. And yes, story wise it made complete sense for Nick to be the narrator, an outsider looking in to Alice's story, a critique of the bystander syndrome and so on, but he was just so infuriating for such a long time that I genuinely thought I wasn't going to get through this book. Really, the only thing forcing me to push through is the fact that I'm a student and if I buy a book first hand I'll be damned if I won't read it.
Am I glad that I kept reading? Yes. I mean, even besides the student part, Petty's writing is gorgeous, and I was genuinely angry that I hated her character so much when all I wanted to do was keep reading her descriptions. However in different circumstances, I'm 90% sure I would have just given up on this book a lot earlier.
I think a lot of it comes from how much I loved the first chapter, the vulnerability, the description, Alice's problem with those damned mannequins, only to after that be thrown into the POV of a teenage boy who kept telling me for 100 pages that the main character was crazy and an attention seeker for believing she was raped. It's a bit of a striking contrast.
Which is why I ended up giving the book 3 stars. Middle ground for my love hate relationship with this book. Definitely worth the read but man do you have to have some strong willpower to push through. Or maybe not. Some people apparently loved Nick. To each their own I guess, I just really enjoyed this story of a girl's life told by emails and bystanders.
First of all, I've never in my entire life read a more misleading synopsis for a story. The synopsis almost makes you believe that Nick and Alice have any kind of relationship when they've actually never met in real life. Nick isn't even a real person (I mean, he is, but not in the context presented in Alice's story), and it leads you to believe that this is a story happening during someone's teenage years when that is literally the shortest part of the story.
I honestly believe I would have been even more intrigued by the book if it had a synopsis that actually presented its story as it really is: the life of a woman being destroyed by something that might have happened to her, by a lie that might actually be the truth. Even when so much worse happens to her, especially her time with Q, being poisoned by him to force her to stay by his side, almost getting murdered by him, being cut off from all of her friends and family, the one that had the biggest impact on her, the one that she surrounds her entire narrative around, is something that she doesn't remember.
The uncertainty follows through the entirety of the book, and when we finally get to the reveal, to her finding out that nothing happened, that she wasn't raped, that it was all a rumour started by dumb teens (and even then, this account was given by Richard who is not a trusted source by any means), we feel that soul crushing pain that she feels: she'd lost and been through so much, allowed herself to suffer and grief and hurt for years, for something that has never happened.
In itself, the storytelling is amazing because it combines all these accounts of Alice's life and forces you to put the pieces together, and still leaves you with questions when it's done. It's a story within a story within a story. How much of Alice's narrative is real? How much of it was her coping through storytelling? We have no clue.
I think I would have loved this book.
Sadly, I didn't.
I loved absolutely everything I listed above, I do genuinely believe that it was such an amazing story and way of telling it, however I just couldn't empathise with Nick.
The main narrator of this story, the bystander to Alice's life and pain, an alcoholic idiot who might start to gain your sympathy later in the book, but whom I couldn't stand for the first third of it. And yes, story wise it made complete sense for Nick to be the narrator, an outsider looking in to Alice's story, a critique of the bystander syndrome and so on, but he was just so infuriating for such a long time that I genuinely thought I wasn't going to get through this book. Really, the only thing forcing me to push through is the fact that I'm a student and if I buy a book first hand I'll be damned if I won't read it.
Am I glad that I kept reading? Yes. I mean, even besides the student part, Petty's writing is gorgeous, and I was genuinely angry that I hated her character so much when all I wanted to do was keep reading her descriptions. However in different circumstances, I'm 90% sure I would have just given up on this book a lot earlier.
I think a lot of it comes from how much I loved the first chapter, the vulnerability, the description, Alice's problem with those damned mannequins, only to after that be thrown into the POV of a teenage boy who kept telling me for 100 pages that the main character was crazy and an attention seeker for believing she was raped. It's a bit of a striking contrast.
Which is why I ended up giving the book 3 stars. Middle ground for my love hate relationship with this book. Definitely worth the read but man do you have to have some strong willpower to push through. Or maybe not. Some people apparently loved Nick. To each their own I guess, I just really enjoyed this story of a girl's life told by emails and bystanders.
courtknee_bee's review against another edition
5.0
So, so fun but thoughtful. Each part worked as its own short story that still ties together in the end. I loved the different mediums/narrators/styles, although Part III: Lost Weekend (2008) - aka the cabin weekend - was my absolute favorite just for the pure spookiness.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a mashup between a contemporary mystery-thriller, Gone Girl, and something Stephen King would write.
Highly recommended for anyone looking for a mashup between a contemporary mystery-thriller, Gone Girl, and something Stephen King would write.
per_fictionist's review against another edition
4.0
True Story by Kate Reed Petty is a unequivocally the kind of book that is bound to question the genre it gets sorted into. Blending varied genres and sub-genres into one, True Story is the tale of a survivor or rather I’d say it’s the journey of a survivor spawn across decades. The narrative follows that of Alice, who was rumored(?) to have been sexually assaulted in her teens by two members of a school lacrosse team after a party that went wrong. A classic case of “he said. She said”. And how this incident, later shaped the lives of the individuals that were connected to it ; namely Alice, Nick, Richard, Haley and Max.
I was deeply amazed by the author’s unpredictability and the way she fused the genres that very often coincided as one. As the blurb suggests, True Story reads as an "by turns a campus novel, psychological thriller, horror story and crime noir” and that is what it exactly delivers.
The privilege of the “superior sex”, the ways and means they would often sought to justify their actions and the ease of the author to talk about masculine fragility, definitely impressed me. 40% into the book, I kind of felt it was lagging behind in the thrill but I was still intrigued by the characters. And, I kept on reading, and trust me you wouldn’t believe when I say this, TRUE STORY LEFT ME DISORIENTED WITH IT’S CLIMAX. I just couldn’t think of anything else other than the story and how the author tied all the ends and layered them like a PERFECT FRENCH BRAID. And that is exactly the kind of thriller I am always in the search for. WHOLESOME. UNPREDICTABLE. AND something that makes me QUESTION everything I read!
There is so much richness in the characters and as I’ve already mentioned “the incident” that haunts them eventually sees it’s way into their present. Of the soured friendships, the long forgotten memories, a story of many truths and a perfect mix of some of my favorite literary genres.
I was deeply amazed by the author’s unpredictability and the way she fused the genres that very often coincided as one. As the blurb suggests, True Story reads as an "by turns a campus novel, psychological thriller, horror story and crime noir” and that is what it exactly delivers.
The privilege of the “superior sex”, the ways and means they would often sought to justify their actions and the ease of the author to talk about masculine fragility, definitely impressed me. 40% into the book, I kind of felt it was lagging behind in the thrill but I was still intrigued by the characters. And, I kept on reading, and trust me you wouldn’t believe when I say this, TRUE STORY LEFT ME DISORIENTED WITH IT’S CLIMAX. I just couldn’t think of anything else other than the story and how the author tied all the ends and layered them like a PERFECT FRENCH BRAID. And that is exactly the kind of thriller I am always in the search for. WHOLESOME. UNPREDICTABLE. AND something that makes me QUESTION everything I read!
There is so much richness in the characters and as I’ve already mentioned “the incident” that haunts them eventually sees it’s way into their present. Of the soured friendships, the long forgotten memories, a story of many truths and a perfect mix of some of my favorite literary genres.
lilcoop71's review against another edition
3.0
Barely 3 stars. It was compelling enough to keep me reading but ultimately it was kind of a mess.
jessica_patient's review against another edition
True Story by Katy Reed Petty is one of those books you can't put down and definitely deserves a re-read as I'm sure there are lots of layers to be peeled back on the plot and themes. If you like experimental writing and the way we twist reality to match our truths then you're going to love this book. I was kindly sent an ebook version of this via Netgalley but I know that I will be definitely getting a physical copy of this book.
At the heart of this book, is a story about two college boys giving a girl a lift home after a party and the boys tell the story afterwards to their friends about what they did to this girl, sexually.
The format of the book starts off as standard college novel but then cuts out to Alice, the girl who was in the car as she struggles to grasp what happens as her life is destroyed by that event. She can't remember the details but this event leaks into all aspects of her life. Through out the book, the reader sees Alice's college application and the different versions as she tries to tackle the truth and what happened, as well as screen plays and emails. The book also morphs into a thriller as one of the boys, not present in the car on that night, tries to find out the truth. This is such a relevant book not only on college sexual assault but also on how reality can be manipulated by either other people or our internal processes to match the truth that we have in our heads.
At the heart of this book, is a story about two college boys giving a girl a lift home after a party and the boys tell the story afterwards to their friends about what they did to this girl, sexually.
The format of the book starts off as standard college novel but then cuts out to Alice, the girl who was in the car as she struggles to grasp what happens as her life is destroyed by that event. She can't remember the details but this event leaks into all aspects of her life. Through out the book, the reader sees Alice's college application and the different versions as she tries to tackle the truth and what happened, as well as screen plays and emails. The book also morphs into a thriller as one of the boys, not present in the car on that night, tries to find out the truth. This is such a relevant book not only on college sexual assault but also on how reality can be manipulated by either other people or our internal processes to match the truth that we have in our heads.
kikireadsstuff's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thotdemon's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars rounded up !!
first of all; fuck nick. all my homies HATE NICK. there’s a piece at the end by the author abt bystanders and how so many ppl feel empathy for nick and how a lot of readers were rooting for him etc and all i have to say is. fuck that guy. absolutely epitome of locker room, boys will be boys culture summed up in nick.
anyway !!!! really enjoyed how this was written, the changing perspectives and the essays and the scripts, made it really engaging and fully sucked me into the characters worlds
interesting ending that i wasn’t really expecting but that worked really well ??? if i had thought earlier that the book was going to go that way i would have been really disappointed but the way it was framed actually worked really well (that’s such a convoluted sentence but i don’t wanna spoil anything lol)
anyway !!! read it xx
first of all; fuck nick. all my homies HATE NICK. there’s a piece at the end by the author abt bystanders and how so many ppl feel empathy for nick and how a lot of readers were rooting for him etc and all i have to say is. fuck that guy. absolutely epitome of locker room, boys will be boys culture summed up in nick.
anyway !!!! really enjoyed how this was written, the changing perspectives and the essays and the scripts, made it really engaging and fully sucked me into the characters worlds
interesting ending that i wasn’t really expecting but that worked really well ??? if i had thought earlier that the book was going to go that way i would have been really disappointed but the way it was framed actually worked really well (that’s such a convoluted sentence but i don’t wanna spoil anything lol)
anyway !!! read it xx