M y review -
Amy
is in a persistent vegetative state after having been attacked and left for
dead at the age of fifteen. Nobody has been accused of the attack. Jake, her
boyfriend at the time, visits her bedside. He's had to move on with his life
and another fifteen years on, he's married with a baby on the way. His wife
doesn't know about Amy. Alex is a washed-up journalist who is killing herself
with alcohol. Her marriage and career have failed as a result but she takes an
interest in Amy's case and tries to bring her justice.
There's
a real feeling of walking on eggshells in this novel, which is presumably the
meaning behind the enigmatic title. Jake's wife, since her pregnancy, has
become viciously and irrationally jealous and Alex still yearns for her
ex-husband. You get a sense of so much more beneath the surface. Jake's brittle
mother and emotionally distant father add to the feeling that something is
building up. But the real star of this story is Amy, supposedly brain dead. You
must read this.
Great review, Kath. This book is indeed a goodie!
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