ShortBookandScribes #BookReview – Home Truths by Charity Norman
Home Truths by Charity Norman was published by Allen & Unwin on 1st August 2024 in paperback and eBook. My thanks to the publishers for the proof copy.
Livia Denby is on trial for attempted murder. The jury have reached a verdict.
Two years earlier, Livia was a probation officer in Yorkshire, her husband Scott a teacher. Their children, Heidi and Noah, round out a happy family until the day Scott’s brother dies.
Grief and guilt leave Scott seeking answers, a search which takes him into the world of conspiracy theories. As his grip on reality slides, he makes a decision which will put the family on a collision course with tragedy.
Livia’s family has been torn apart, and now her son’s life is hanging in the balance. Just how far will she go to save the ones she loves?
Home Truths is my first book by Charity Norman and I’m wondering why that is as I enjoyed it so much.
The book begins with Livia on trial for attempted murder. We’re then taken back to everything that led up to the trial: her family life, the death of her husband Scott’s brother, Nicky, which was the catalyst for it all, and then Scott’s descent into the world of conspiracy theories to try to make sense of Nicky’s tragic death.
Home Truths is plotted to perfection. In essence it is a family drama, with the story being told in the first person by Livia, Scott, and their daughter, Heidi. Norman brings into play the Covid pandemic which inevitably rattles Scott even more. We witness the devastating effect of Nicky’s death on the family and the consequences of Scott’s beliefs. The author manages to throw in a whiplash moment which I didn’t see coming at all, and some plot points that didn’t seem all that significant suddenly took on new meanings.
All this means that Home Truths is an immensely gripping read. The pace never let up and I enjoyed the everyday family life elements just as much as the parts that were more psychological thriller-like in their execution. Exhilarating, sad and fascinating, Home Truths is a brilliant read.
Charity is the author of six novels. She was born in Uganda, brought up in draughty vicarages in the North of England and met her husband under a truck in the Sahara desert. She worked for some years as a family and criminal barrister in York Chambers, until, realising that her three children barely knew her, she moved with her family to New Zealand where she began to write.
After the Fall was a Richard & Judy and World Book Night title, The New Woman a BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice. See You in September (2017) was shortlisted for best crime novel in the Ngaio Marsh Awards. Her sixth, The Secrets of Strangers, was released on 7th May 2020 and is also a Radio 2 Book Club choice.
Charity loves hearing from readers. Please visit her on facebook.com/charitynormanauthor or Twitter: @charitynorman1
