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A review by jen_meds_book_reviews
He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly
4.25
Well ... this book wasn't what I was expecting. Not really. Well, not at all actually. Another one where I'm definitely kicking myself for taking so long to read it. Having come very late to Erin Kelly's writing, I've come to expect the unexpected, but it's fair to say that this book is packed with tension, misdirection and a whole lot of threat. But not in the way I was expecting at all. It's a tale of obsession and no mistake, but as to who is the one who is obsessed - that remains to be seen. Is what comes to pass the result of a gross miscarriage of justice or is there something far more sinister in play? And will discovering the truth come at a cost for our protagonists, Laura and Kit? Well - you'll have to read the book to find that out, won't you?
I really liked the premise of this book as it plays into some very real and very current themes that could easily have been ripped from today's headlines, never mind those of six years ago when it was first released. The story is quite simple, after a fashion. Laura and Kit are at a festival in Cornwall, hoping to witness a total eclipse of the sun. The weather has other ideas, but it doesn't stop the revellers from enjoying themselves. On their return from watching the eclipse, Laura happens upon the scene of what she believes to be a sexual assault, but is everything quite as it seems? Certainly her decision to get involved is going to derail hers and Kit's lives, and in giving evidence, Laura also makes another decision, perhaps unforgivable, perhaps not. Can the ends justify the means? With what comes to pass, and the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Laura would have made a very different decision and the aftermath of the trial would have had a very different end.
This really is a book that plays into that whole concept of witness testimony and the way in which assault cases have often been played out in the court of public opinion, especially where there is limited forensic evidence to support any charges. Sexaul assualt has typically, and historically, been one of the least reported and least successfully prosecuted offences, evidence often coming down to the word of one person against another, especially in the case of an assault where the victim and assailant are known to each other, however marginally, as in this case. It really does mean that in this case, Laura's testimony is crucial and although it is still not absolute proof, it is a powerful position to be in. As the accused is a person in position of influence and the victim someone whose behaviour - travelling alone to a festival - something that can easily be dismissed as reckless and indicative of someone who might also lie about an assault in a moment of regret, the whole story had an air of believability about it. How many times have we heard that particular headline - where the way the victim has dressed or behaved has been put on trial and judged more harshly than the actions of the offender?
What follows the trial, something that is sewn up really rather early on the in the book is the real crux of this story though. The unlikely friendship that grows between Laura and the victim, Beth, and the way in which is seems to mutate and turn from something nice into something obsessive and suspect. Add in a determined campaign by the accused to clear his name, professing innocence and backed by an online campaign where Beth and Laura are both accused of lying on the stand, and you get that feeling that nothing is quite so simple. But whose side do we, should we, fall down on. Certainly there is plenty of evidence to suggest things are not as simple as they first appeared, and with a story that moves between the past, the fateful night and the court case, and the present day where Laura and Kit's life is anyhing other than what they first imagined, I did find that I my opinions of what was happening changed so often.
Erin Kelly has done a brilliant job here of highlighting how often a victim's word fails to be enough. of how skewed the judicial system was to try to accuse the accuser as readily as the accused. That is changing, with the official line now to believe the accuser until there is evidence to the contrary, but that too is flawed, opening up the possibility of false accusations and ruined reputations, something we have also seen play out in the media. The whole book opens up a raft of questions and moral dilemmas, backed up by a tension that flows from start to finish and more than the odd moment of jeopardy that really gets the pulse racing. As for the ending - well in true Erin Kelly style she manages to pull a blinder, and with the closing chapters full of drama and surprises left me feeling completely satisfied.
I've a few more books in the author's back catalogue to read but I think, after the evidence of the past few reads, I really need to bump them up the TBR. Definitely recommended for fans of tense, psychological thrillers who love to be kept on the edge of their seat.
I really liked the premise of this book as it plays into some very real and very current themes that could easily have been ripped from today's headlines, never mind those of six years ago when it was first released. The story is quite simple, after a fashion. Laura and Kit are at a festival in Cornwall, hoping to witness a total eclipse of the sun. The weather has other ideas, but it doesn't stop the revellers from enjoying themselves. On their return from watching the eclipse, Laura happens upon the scene of what she believes to be a sexual assault, but is everything quite as it seems? Certainly her decision to get involved is going to derail hers and Kit's lives, and in giving evidence, Laura also makes another decision, perhaps unforgivable, perhaps not. Can the ends justify the means? With what comes to pass, and the benefit of hindsight, perhaps Laura would have made a very different decision and the aftermath of the trial would have had a very different end.
This really is a book that plays into that whole concept of witness testimony and the way in which assault cases have often been played out in the court of public opinion, especially where there is limited forensic evidence to support any charges. Sexaul assualt has typically, and historically, been one of the least reported and least successfully prosecuted offences, evidence often coming down to the word of one person against another, especially in the case of an assault where the victim and assailant are known to each other, however marginally, as in this case. It really does mean that in this case, Laura's testimony is crucial and although it is still not absolute proof, it is a powerful position to be in. As the accused is a person in position of influence and the victim someone whose behaviour - travelling alone to a festival - something that can easily be dismissed as reckless and indicative of someone who might also lie about an assault in a moment of regret, the whole story had an air of believability about it. How many times have we heard that particular headline - where the way the victim has dressed or behaved has been put on trial and judged more harshly than the actions of the offender?
What follows the trial, something that is sewn up really rather early on the in the book is the real crux of this story though. The unlikely friendship that grows between Laura and the victim, Beth, and the way in which is seems to mutate and turn from something nice into something obsessive and suspect. Add in a determined campaign by the accused to clear his name, professing innocence and backed by an online campaign where Beth and Laura are both accused of lying on the stand, and you get that feeling that nothing is quite so simple. But whose side do we, should we, fall down on. Certainly there is plenty of evidence to suggest things are not as simple as they first appeared, and with a story that moves between the past, the fateful night and the court case, and the present day where Laura and Kit's life is anyhing other than what they first imagined, I did find that I my opinions of what was happening changed so often.
Erin Kelly has done a brilliant job here of highlighting how often a victim's word fails to be enough. of how skewed the judicial system was to try to accuse the accuser as readily as the accused. That is changing, with the official line now to believe the accuser until there is evidence to the contrary, but that too is flawed, opening up the possibility of false accusations and ruined reputations, something we have also seen play out in the media. The whole book opens up a raft of questions and moral dilemmas, backed up by a tension that flows from start to finish and more than the odd moment of jeopardy that really gets the pulse racing. As for the ending - well in true Erin Kelly style she manages to pull a blinder, and with the closing chapters full of drama and surprises left me feeling completely satisfied.
I've a few more books in the author's back catalogue to read but I think, after the evidence of the past few reads, I really need to bump them up the TBR. Definitely recommended for fans of tense, psychological thrillers who love to be kept on the edge of their seat.