Scan barcode
A review by natyweiss
Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
5.0
Thank you Atria Books for the ARC in exchange for honest review
The book's premise is simple: Abigail, a teenage girl, disappears in the woods after a party, leaving her friends and family full of questions and having to confront their own pain and demons. But the execution will blow your mind because it is a thriller that answers the right questions. Sure, we have the underlying whodunit present in every thriller, but the book's real strength lies in the wonderfully crafted cast of characters and the rural setting.
The plot unspools through two timelines, now and then, and in the process, the reader gets to know, love, and despise the characters and their unique stories. We have Abigail's best friend Emma, a mixed-race girl who seems doomed to be left behind without an explanation, first by her father then by her friend. Noah, Abigail's brother who has to fight for his right to be himself. Rat, the Romanian boy that has to pay the price of being the outcast, the pariah in a society that blames the "outsiders" for their own miseries.
Excellent prose, great rhythm.
It's a very solid debut novel, and I will definitely going to check out what Anna Bailey writes in the future.
The book's premise is simple: Abigail, a teenage girl, disappears in the woods after a party, leaving her friends and family full of questions and having to confront their own pain and demons. But the execution will blow your mind because it is a thriller that answers the right questions. Sure, we have the underlying whodunit present in every thriller, but the book's real strength lies in the wonderfully crafted cast of characters and the rural setting.
The plot unspools through two timelines, now and then, and in the process, the reader gets to know, love, and despise the characters and their unique stories. We have Abigail's best friend Emma, a mixed-race girl who seems doomed to be left behind without an explanation, first by her father then by her friend. Noah, Abigail's brother who has to fight for his right to be himself. Rat, the Romanian boy that has to pay the price of being the outcast, the pariah in a society that blames the "outsiders" for their own miseries.
Excellent prose, great rhythm.
It's a very solid debut novel, and I will definitely going to check out what Anna Bailey writes in the future.