Everyone Who Can Forgive Me Is Dead by Jenny HollanderMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I received an ARC of this book.
I enjoyed this book. It drew me in right from the beginning and I had a hard time putting it down. Charlie was a fascinating character and the story developed at a great pace; the author did a great job of incorporating dual timelines and still propelling the plot along at an intriguing pace.
This is the story of Charlotte, or Charlie, an incredibly successful editor who seems to have it all: a great job, a fantastic super-wealthy fiancé, and loads of poise, self-confidence, and polish. But Charlie is also a survivor of what has been dubbed "Scarlet Christmas" by the press--a tragedy in which several students in an elite journalism grad school program were killed by another student. Charlie has worked extremely hard to put the past behind her and build a successful present, but when another survivor (a broadcast journalist who is even more successful that Charlie) announces plans to make a movie on the 10-year anniversary of the tragedy, Charlie begins to worry that her carefully curated life will fall apart. Because she has secrets about that night that she has been hiding for all theses years.
As I said, I was pulled right into the book. Charlie's character is very well done. She is just the right balance of unlikeable and vulnerable. The reader understands her motivations and roots for her, even when she makes obvious wrong decisions and does questionable things. Charlie's meetings with her therapist were a great way to show exactly what was going on in her head as well as detail the events of the past that led up to the defining moment in Charlie's life. As the story unfolded, I was captivated and found myself wondering what really happened that night, what Charlie was really hiding, and what would happen in the present when and if the truth came out.
I read feverishly until about the last 25%, when the pacing and plot began to feel a bit disjoined and strange. There was a slightly bizarre "aha" moment that should have been huge...and I guess it was huge...but then again it wasn't huge. So I felt confused and maybe a bit misled. And the denouement did not feel like it matched the pacing and tone of the rest of the book at all. I certainly don't want to give away any spoilers, (view spoiler)
But I did enjoy the book, and I would recommend it if you enjoy tense psychological thrillers. And I will definitely read more by this author.
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