I read Black Chalk (Yates' first novel) and it was NOT my favorite book. Creeped me out.
So when my friend Erin lent me Yates' second novel, I was a bit hesitant. But I have learned not to judge an author solely on one book, which is a valuable lesson in reading as in life!!! This book hooked me from page one. What an opening line!!!! A horrible act of violence (not rape though) on a teenage girl witnessed by two teenage best friends, one of them the perpetrator. Flash forward to the adult lives of those involved, and this incident remains a major trauma point especially for the boy who witnessed it and did nothing to stop it.
I actually loved the format of this book - you get into several of the characters' minds - and the way the story unfolds is absolutely brilliant. The impact of one tiny decision leads to a passel of lies, omissions, regrets, and behaviors. Or, was it just one tiny decision? Was it assumption? What you see is not necessarily what you get. (wink) There are always two sides to a story. And sometimes, there are three. You decide who the narrator is here! Static or ever changing??
Excellent thriller with very inventive plot points. Storytelling at its "can't put it down" best as far as I'm concerned!!!! Thank you Erin!!!
