It’s a real pleasure to welcome you all to my stop on the blog tour for How Far We Fall by Jane Shemilt today. My thanks to Jenny Platt at Michael Joseph for the invitation to join and my review copy.
Author : Jane Shemilt
Title : How Far We Fall
Pages : 372
Publisher : Michael Joseph
Publication date : June 28, 2018
The perfect couple
Meeting Albie gave Beth a fresh start – a chance to leave her past behind. Now she has her new husband; an ambitious, talented young neurosurgeon.
The perfect marriage
Their marriage gives Beth the safe haven she’s always wanted – with just one catch. Albie has no idea of the secrets she’s keeping. He doesn’t know that years ago, Beth had an affair with Ted, the boss helping Albie’s star ascend. Nor that the affair’s devastating ending will have consequences for their own future.
The perfect storm
So when Ted’s generous patronage begins to sour, Beth senses everything she’s built could crumble. And she sees an opportunity. To satisfy Albie’s ambitions, and her own obsessive desire for revenge . . .
She’ll keep her marriage and her secret safe.
But how far will the fall take them?
Beth and Albie seemingly have the perfect marriage. But Beth has quite a few skeletons in her closet, amongst them a long-running affair with Albie’s boss, Ted, which has affected her future. Albie is blinded by ambition and his admiration for Ted but when Ted’s generosity seems to crumble, Beth sees this as the perfect opportunity to satisfy her husband’s ambitions and have her revenge on Ted in one fell swoop.
How Far We Fall is very different from the psychological thrillers I’m used to and I must admit it took me quite a while to get into it. Not only are the characters incredibly unlikeable, the pace is also rather slow. Particularly in the first part of the story, which lays the foundation of how these three complex characters are connected and turns this story into the most fascinating character study.
There is a constant claustrophobic and almost threatening vibe, especially in the dramatic setting of the Jura where parts of the story are played out. Jane Shemilt takes full advantage of her medical background as a GP and of her husband’s, who’s a neurosurgeon. These were parts I read through my fingers because while I can apparently read about the most gruesome of murders, actual surgery descriptions make my stomach go all funny.
This is a story about ambition, jealousy, betrayal and revenge with an intricately and thought-provoking character-driven plot. It’s intriguing, incredibly dark and chilling. Not one to race through but one that requires a bit of concentration and I’m glad I stuck with it because despite the slow pace, it was well worth it in the end.
How Far We Fall is available to buy!
Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads
Jane is a general practitioner who completed a post graduate diploma in Creative Writing at Bristol university and went on to study for a M.A in Creative writing at Bath Spa. She was shortlisted for the Janklow and Nesbitt award and the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize for Daughter, her first novel.
She and her husband, a Professor of Neurosurgery, have 5 children and live in Bristol, England.
Author links : Twitter
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