By Megan Thomas
This was freshly plucked from the Communal Holiday Book Shelf (CHBSpatent pending) on my recent trip to Italy by my friend, and she spent her poolside reading experience oohing and aahing in delight. Naturally, I wanted a turn and had to bring it home (don’t worry, I left a book in its place, I know CHBSpatent pending etiquette) and even though I read it on the plane home and the entirety of the next day, it was exactly what I want from a holiday read. Quick, pacy, but also intricate and nuanced.
I do an incredibly annoying thing when I read psychological thrillers, which is to imagine/hypothesise so many possible endings so thoroughly that when some/most of them prove totally incorrect, I’m disappointed that the author didn’t choose my ending. This was less annoying than usual for Blood Orange, though, because I did not see the ending coming at all, which was very satisfying.
Owing to the genre, I won’t overload you with plot or risk taking away the fun bits. But let’s go with the summary that while the (intensely dislikable yet sometimes relatable) protagonist Alison might have an increasingly successful career as a lawyer and a loving family at home, she’s drinking too much and she’s slowly allowing her relationship to circle the drain. Can she last in this spiral without ultimate destruction?
The author’s “day job” as a barrister makes a lot of sense, because with lawyer-like precision, the multiple storylines and subplots, from domestic life to murder cases, have been kept in tight control, making it the kind of read that leaves no loose ends by the time you turn the final page.
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