A review by pomoevareads
None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I am going to start my review by saying two seemingly contradicting statements. I gave this book five stars and I had issues with how child sexual abuse was handled.

The basic premise of None of This is True is the meeting of two 45 year old women on their birthday who come together to make a podcast about the lives of one of them. One of them had a privileged upbringing and is popular and successful and the other met her husband when she was 13 and he was 30 years older. Josie, the second woman, works at an alterations shop and has an affinity towards denim and is described as being a bit odd. Alix, the podcaster and privileged woman, agrees to interview Josie about her life for a new podcast. Alix focusses in on the more salacious content which Josie, who seeks attention, thrives under. But this one sided examination of marriages and family can’t last forever and soon Alix is under the microscope of Josie and worries about her own family.

Look, I couldn’t put this book down. There were no pacing gaps and it embodied the kind of slow burn suspense stories I love. And drama, yes there was much of it and while I am at times ashamed to admit it, I enjoy escapist drama-as long as it isn’t mine. The characters were solid and while the podcast element could seem overdone as so many books feature this now, it didn’t and felt fresh. I enjoyed the addition of the video movements and descriptions for the documentary that comes about. This is where the five stars lie.

Now to the more difficult part. Giving Josie blame for being groomed by Walter, 30 years her senior, one who had a previous marriage that also involved a 16 year old girl, is problematic at its core. A teen between the ages of 13 and 18 does not have the maturity or experience to see what is happening to her by this much older man. Walter is much more than a ‘bad man,’ he is a pedophile. The character of Alix and others in the story attribute responsibility to Josie for drawing the eye of Walter. I won’t say more than that as it would lead to spoilers but wanted to say something rather than nothing. I believe from the ending that the author doesn’t actually have these feelings and that she is demonstrating the characters of Alix and others in writing it this way.

I have read several of Jewell’s books and this one may be my favourite. I hope that I read the ending of this story as the author intended. I think this book might serve up some great discussions for book clubs and am impressed in the very short time this author was able to put this book together-clearly giving up her normal routines for laying out a story worked.

Thank you to @simonschusterca for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. None of This is True publishes August 8th.
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