The Betrayals by Fiona Neill

Book Review

"The past is a vanished shadow."

The Betrayals was released on 10th August 2017. It is written by Fiona Neill and published by Michael Joseph.

After a very promising start The Betrayals fizzled out in the second half. However, it's an interesting exploration of memory and how different people recall traumatic experiences and the consequences.



BLURB

When Rosie Rankin's best friend has an affair with her husband, the consequences reverberate down through the lives of two families.

Relationships are torn apart. Friendships shattered. And childish innocence destroyed.

Her daughter Daisy's fragile hold on reality begins to unravel when a letter arrives that opens up all the old wounds. Rosie's teenage son Max blames himself for everything which happened that long hot summer. And her brittle ex-husband Nick has his own version of events.

As long-repressed memories bubble to the surface, the past has never seemed more present and the truth more murky.

Sometimes there are four sides to every story.

Who do you believe?

Told through the eyes of four members of the same family, The Betrayals takes an unflinching look at contemporary family life, explores the nature of memory and desire and asks whether some things can ever be forgiven.

The first half of The Betrayals had me hooked, it was well written with interesting characters and a dramatic hook at the beginning without being too thrill-seeking. However, the second half really didn't live up to the first. The characters seemed to level out and, even though there were revelations, you didn't feel like you were getting any deeper into their psyches. Also, the revelations felt a bit weak to me and, with the subject of the book, a little too predictable. It was disappointing because at first I was really invested, but I found myself getting bored.

I did, however, find the whole subject of unreliable memory interesting. The story focuses around four members of the same family remembering a holiday a few months before the parents break up. Each remembers differently and has their own feelings about it.

The Betayals explores OCD in the character of Daisy and not just how it affects her but also those around her. I don't know much about the illness, but the book delves deeper into it, showing it's more than just washing your hands a lot or flicking light switches on an off.

"I should know from experience that OCD is a hungry master who imposes more rules whenever he suspects his influence is under threat."

I do enjoy a family drama, especially one based around a catastrophic event, which then looks at how the dynamics are changed and mutated. On this theme I felt like Neill does a good job, but there were a few aspects of the story that felt a little contrived and unbelievable. Plus, the momentum really runs out by the end.

However, there are some excellent character studies and the resonance of the 'betrayals' playing down the years is felt strongly in this book.

My Rating: 3 Stars

I received a copy  of The Betrayals, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publisher.

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