Book Review: Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara

Hello! Long time, no blog. I've had a busy few weekends and as a result haven't had as much time to kick back and read.  A few days ago I finished reading Who Did You Tell?, a mystery novel by Lesley Kara, set in the sleepy British seaside down of Flinstead which seems like the sort of place hopes and dreams go to die. Where you don't have the problem of hiding behind a shoe rack in New Look from the people you went to secondary school with when they make a fleeting visit during their gap yah, because none of them ever left.

The story follows Astrid, real name Hilary, on her journey of recovery from alcoholism. After spending the last few years in squats and bedsits in London, she's been forced into rehab and is now slowly rebuilding her life back in her hometown, back with her Mum, back in her childhood bedroom. Her drinking days are still fresh in her mind and very much a haze; there are whole chunks of time that she can't remember, things she did that remain unfocused, and a complicated relationship that ended in disaster. But Astrid is struggling to piece together her past, and with threatening notes and sinister messages being left for her all over Flinstead, it's a race against time as she tries to beat her stalker to the bullet and stop them from exposing her past and ruining any chance she had of a future in recovery.

I loved that this book was written from the perspective of someone in recovery. I don't think I've ever read a mystery or thriller quite like this; Astrid is an unlikely and somewhat risky protagonist, and I don't think you could ever guarantee that a reader is going to sympathise with a character who, to many, is responsible for the situation she's in. In many ways, Astrid is responsible for the path her life has taken and the things she's done. She's not obviously heroic or strong or brave, has done some terrible things, and yet as a reader I was on her side immediately.

This was a unique read, and one that I would recommend. At times it felt a little slow, but I think that's because, with thrillers, I'm used to waiting for an explosive ending or twist, and this wasn't that kind of story. Instead it felt real and raw, an honest account of a woman battling with herself and striving to make a new life from the rubble of her old one. Astrid has made some bad decisions and must take responsibility for the consequences of those, but the message of this book was that there is always the possibility of change and that no matter how dark things may seem, every day is brand new opportunity to change your life. Astrid was the perfect heroine and her story (albeit fictional) is a very important one.

Who Did You Tell? by Lesley Kara is published by Transworld on 31st October 2019. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.