My edition: Paperback, to be published on 27th March 2014 by Penguin, 448 pages.Description: Jen has discovered a secret. It's not hers to share, but is it hers to keep?
If she tells her husband Jason, he might get over the shock but will he forgive her for telling the truth? She might drive a wedge through their marriage.
If she tells someone else in Jason's family - the family she's come to love more than her own - she'd not only tear them apart but could also find herself on the outside: she's never really been one of them, after all.
But if she keeps this dirty little secret to herself, how long can she pretend nothing is wrong? How long can she live a lie?
Jen knows the truth - but is she ready for the consequences?
Rating:
Whenever I talk to people who don't often read the genre many define as "chick-lit" there's one author that stands out from the crowd and that's Jane Fallon. Even the most crime-obsessed amongst my friends has read at least one of her books and when I mention I like women's fiction she comes highly recommended. So when I had the opportunity to read her new novel early my interest was instantly piqued as I was keen to discover if this author is truly is amazing as everyone tells me she is.
Perhaps it was my high expectations, her books have made non chick-lit readers gush after all, but I was extremely disappointed by Skeletons. The story was perspicuous and predictable and the characters were insipid. I found it difficult to connect to any of them, even main character Jen wasn't relatable or even remotely likeable. I understand that just as in life you can't like everyone, but feeling at least some sort of interest in what would happen to them next is very helpful in a novel, otherwise it becomes a struggle to finish it at all.
My main issue lay with the fact that the characters' relationships faltered on the unrealistic for me. It seemed unconceivable for instance that Jen had shared years of her life and secrets with best friend Poppy, only to be shunned completely and seemingly forever when she was simply the messenger of some very bad news. Add to that Jen's whining and self-absorbed tendencies as well as her spineless husband and I simply stopped caring about the book's conclusion.
While the novel was just about enjoyable enough for me to continue reading until the end, the journey there was amateurishly put together (I saw every twist and turn coming from miles away) and instantly forgettable afterwards - even a mere week after finishing it I'm struggling writing this review as the story and characters have blended together with so many similar novels in my memory.
This would have been an adequate debut novel from a writer venturing into the genre for the first time, but from an apparent master of storytelling such as Jane Fallon I expected much more.
You can purchase a copy of the novel from Waterstones, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com or your own preferred retailer.
Would you like to know more about the author? You can connect with her online at:
Website: www.janefallon.co.uk
Facebook: facebook.com/janefallonofficial
Twitter: @janefallon
Many thanks to Lovereading for an advance copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
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