A review by outsmartyourshelf
Blood Orange by Harriet Tyce

dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Alison has a great career as a barrister & a lovely family of husband & young daughter, but she's also has a drinking problem & is having an affair with a colleague, Patrick. Her next case is a woman accused of murdering her husband, & Alison feels that there is more to the story than initially given. Then Alison starts receiving anonymous texts - someone knows about her affair & now everything is at risk.

At the beginning of the book, Alison really doesn't come across as a very sympathetic main character. As the plot unfolds however, the reader gradually comes to suspect that some of her issues are being manipulated behind the scenes. Without saying too much & giving away the plot, I was very suspicious of a particular character as they seemed almost 'incel-ish' from the way they acted & spoke at times & it turned out I was right to be suspicious. It's not an easy book to read, there's some sexual content that skates very near to sexual assault at times but this is due to particular plot point. Overall it was an intriguing debut novel that deals with difficult issues. 


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