Title: Blame
Author: Nicole Trope
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Read: July 2016
Expected publication: 22 June 2016
Synopsis (Goodreads):
'I am here because they suspect me of something. I am here
because I am a suspect. I know that, she knows that. Everyone knows that.' Anna
'It wasn't my fault. None of this is my fault!' Caro
Caro and Anna are best friends... they were best friends. Over a decade, Caro and Anna have bonded while raising their daughters, two little girls the same age but living two very different lives. The women have supported each other as they have shared the joys and trials of motherhood, but now everything has changed.
There's been a terrible car accident, an unimaginable tragedy that leaves both families devastated. Over two days as Caro and Anna each detail their own versions of events, they are forced to reveal hidden truths and closely guarded secrets.
The complicated lives of wives and mothers are laid bare as both women come to realise that even best friends don't tell each other everything. And when hearts are broken, even best friends need someone to blame.
A hard- hitting, provocative and gripping read from the queen of white-knuckle suspense and searing family drama.
'It wasn't my fault. None of this is my fault!' Caro
Caro and Anna are best friends... they were best friends. Over a decade, Caro and Anna have bonded while raising their daughters, two little girls the same age but living two very different lives. The women have supported each other as they have shared the joys and trials of motherhood, but now everything has changed.
There's been a terrible car accident, an unimaginable tragedy that leaves both families devastated. Over two days as Caro and Anna each detail their own versions of events, they are forced to reveal hidden truths and closely guarded secrets.
The complicated lives of wives and mothers are laid bare as both women come to realise that even best friends don't tell each other everything. And when hearts are broken, even best friends need someone to blame.
A hard- hitting, provocative and gripping read from the queen of white-knuckle suspense and searing family drama.
My thoughts:
Since meeting at the child health clinic when their
daughters were babies, Anna and Caro have been best friends, supporting each
other through the tough times. Caro has watched Anna struggle to manage the
ever growing needs of her autistic daughter Maya, whilst Anna has noticed Caro
turning to the comforts of alcohol after her multiple miscarriages and the
stillbirth of her son at eight months. They have laughed and cried together,
watched each other’s children, poured out their deepest fears and secrets. Until
Maya is killed in a terrible accident, tearing the friendship apart.
Blame tells the story of the two women in the form of
flashbacks as they are being interviewed by police investigating the events
leading up to Maya’s death. It is a credit to the author that the story flows
seamlessly despite changing from present to past and covering different time
frames as both Caro and Anna recount their pasts, from the very beginning of
their friendship to the bitter end. As the story unfolds and different details
of both women’s lives are unveiled, the reader is being torn between sympathy
and doubt as the women reveal some of their deepest secrets and the events
surrounding Maya’s death are being cast in a different light. Who really is to
blame? The more we find out about each woman, the more we doubt that the
accident was as straight forward as originally believed. As Trope shines the
spotlight on a characters, the shadows also appear. Very well done!
I cannot begin to imagine what Anna’s life with Maya must
have been like, and yet felt closer to Caro, who wore her heart on her sleeve
and shared her emotions freely with the reader. Both women appeared genuine and
rounded, each with their own unique personality, which made the story extremely
readable and addictive and emotionally gripping. I could not put the book down!
Whilst it is slow moving in the recounting of events, the power of the story
lies in its emotional charge rather than the action, and presents a real
rollercoaster ride of emotions for the reader. Trying to put myself in either
woman’s place was sheer horror and the author conveys this feeling well, a
no-win situation where their backs are against the wall and the only way out is
to blame the other for the child’s death. Hidden in the pages, but no less
interesting, are the dynamics of both women’s marriages, and there are also
some surprises in store here – but to go into detail would spoil the fun, so I
won’t give any more away here. I thoroughly enjoyed Blame and read it greedily
in one go. You won’t regret picking it up!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me
with a free electronic copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
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