I thought this would be my kind of book having read the blurb but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it. I did try several times but it was very slow to start with, became very repetitive during the interview and I got totally lost and confused with the whole ‘Fairy Tale’ story. It is very rare that I don’t finish a book and my apologies to the author for this but I just couldn’t carry on reading.

Jenny, who is 14, is found covered in blood, which is not her own. Laura is the one questioning her. Both characters were annoying. It felt like Jenny was far younger than 14 the way she spoke. Laura clearly had issues of her own too and not a character I could warm to.

Written from the point of view of both Laura and Jenny with quite a lot of dialogue and thoughts.

Deals with abuse and mental health issues.

Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc. So sorry I couldn’t finish reading. I won’t post my review on websites online as I want to give the book chance. Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean that others won’t love it.

Well after a slow start I actually found this quite compelling. This is told from three point of view- Jenny the victim/suspect who was found in the street hypothermic and covered in blood and Laura and Niamh the detectives tasked with interviewing her. While we get a bit of a back story for Niamh the main characters are Jenny and Laura and we get a much fuller background on them. The interview of Jenny triggers something in Laura and her subsequent behaviour threatens the integrity of the enquiry. I didn’t find Jenny or Laura the easiest of characters to take to but the gradual revealing of their stories made for gripping if uncomfortable reading. I think this one may stick in my mind for a while yet.

Jenny is 14 and a patient on the adult ward of a psychiatric hospital in Ireland. She was found by the side of the road, alone, and covered in bruises and blood and with recent signs of sexual trauma. Melanie, her mother, and her younger brother Karl are in an hospital ICU after a serious car crash. But the stepfather, Stuart, is missing. The Garda or Irish police want to find him and think that Jenny holds the key.
However, she is electively mute and suffering from PTSD. So, Laura and Niamh who are both highly successful Specialist Victim Interviewers have been sent to try and unlock what is going on in Jenny’s mind. Laura really wants to help Jenny but both she and Niamh are under pressure from their senior manager to get results and find Stuart. The story is told through the interviews with Laura and Jenny both in the first person hence the book’s title. Niamh is the third viewpoint and is more of an observer to the interaction between Jenny and Laura.
Jenny speaks and thinks in fairy tales, Irish folklore and myths and Laura wants to unpick the symbols to find the truth. Laura appears to be happily married to her teenage sweetheart, Matt, and they have a 2 year old daughter. But she also has a dark secret that, as the sessions with Jenny continue, begins to surface and to ‘seep out like blood through a bandage.’ Laura has never told anyone about it but it became a huge unspoken secret between her and her mum. Niamh sees its effects as it begins to take hold of Laura’s life. She wants to help but feels pushed away and Jenny observes this.
Jenny slowly begins to reveal to the reader about the horror at home with Stuart who took over the household when her father died. A cowed mother, a terrified Karl and Stuart’s horrific plans for her. To the outside world he’s a great guy with a great family but on the night of the crash they were returning from the office party which didn’t go to plan.
When Laura decides to unofficially take Jenny out of the hospital and back to her home, she escapes and runs back to a place she considers safe. The fairy tales are about to be finally unravelled and Jenny’s spell will be broken.
This is an ambitious and confident debut novel and I thought that the author controlled the plot very well. But it won’t be for everyone as it is a tough read in places due to its subject matter and its unflinching portrayal of domestic and sexual abuse. I liked Jenny who was caught in the world of childhood while being forced to deal with the adult world that was being forced on her. And yet she is the one that decides to act. I thought that the scenes with her communicating in fairy tales and other symbolic images and also Beatles lyrics were very effective as well as the scenes featuring Laura’s resurfacing PTSD.
Halfway through the book I did start thinking ‘Where is this going?’ but I was glad that I persevered as it was a very powerful plot. However, for me, the book became a little preachy towards the end although I agreed with the views that were expressed. I also didn’t agree with what happened to Stuart at the end but this is a personal opinion and I won’t say anymore as it will be a spoiler. It wasn’t an easy read but I admired the author for her courage in telling this powerful story in her first novel.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I found this both gripping and slightly annoying.

It’s told mainly from Laura and Jenny’s pov. Laura is a Garda, a new mum and she holds a secret. I didn’t get good vibes from Laura I felt she was irrational at times and her demeanour was very off putting. Although she had been through something in her past which would explain her behaviour, it was just a little off putting for me.

Jenny who is 14 comes across a lot younger. She battles with herself and you can never quite be sure what she is going to say and if she is really the victim. Her thoughts were intriguing but some elements of her speech I didn’t feel sat right for a girl of her age.

The writing style for me was quite jumpy in places and there were times I struggled with the language used when switching characters.

I was gripped and really wanted to know what was going on in Laura and Jenny’s head. Is all as it seems or are we to quick to judge people at face value.

Keeps you guessing
The reader knows something has happened but not what, and this isn't fully revealed until the end. I liked the different character points of view. Difficult themes were covered sensitively.

A brilliant first book. I wasn’t sure at the start but I got drawn in very quickly as we started to get to know Laura, the leading detective. It turns out Laura is quite damaged herself and interviewing the victim brings it all back to her.. A strange fairy tale like scenario is woven with a girl in a tower - is the victim the girl in the tower or is she looking in on the girl in the tower?
A great psychological thriller that you can’t put down.

A truely unsettling psychological thriller set in Ireland. A hard harrowing read in places but exceptional writing by Gill Perdue.

A 14 year old girl, Jenny, is found covered in blood. Her mother and younger brother are fighting for their lives in hospital and her stepfather is missing. The police are trying to find the stepfather as they fear the blood may be his. The only problem being Jenny is not speaking.

Detective Laura Shaw and her colleague, Niamh, are tasked with trying to get the girl to talk. As the interviews proceed Laura is suddenly transported back to a time in her past that she has fought to bury. But can she overcome her past to help Jenny and ultimately find the stepfather.

This is a gripping psychological thriller with some harrowing parts to the storyline. The characters are great and I really warmed to both Laura and Niamh. Some exceptional writing make this a thriller you won’t want to put down.

Thank you to Penguin General UK., Sandycove and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

Sadly I gave up with this book at 33% I really tried my best to get into it and to enjoy it but sadly it just didn’t happen for me. I found there was a lot of nothing going on and I didn’t like the characters in this book at all and unfortunately I didn’t see it improving anymore as I was reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book which sadly just didn’t work for me.

Fourteen-year-old Jenny is found covered in blood that isn't hers. She is taken to hospital and her body shows signs of older injuries. Garda officers, Laura and Niamh are trained to interview children who have experienced trauma.

This was an indisputable twisty tale and one I couldn't put down for a minute once started. A terrific début, the characterisation is excellent and it's heaped with suspense and tension. A brutal read in parts, it might not be ideal for some but this reader recommends Gill Perdue's, The Interview very highly.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Penguin General UK, Sandycove via NetGalley at my request and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

I'm seeing a lot of one star reviews and a lot of five star reviews for this book and I'm gonna stick my contrarian neck out to say it was 'just fine'! I happened to like the ~blurred lines~ between fairytale and reality, but I think thrillers have to do a lot to impress me these days, and while this held my attention and had its moments – loved the use of Irish folklore and the glimpse into the ways we narrativise trauma – I think the 'thriller' form itself was limiting. It could've done more were it set loose beyond those genre boundaries.

Still glad I read it, and do recommend to fans (like me!) of Karin Slaughter and Tana French.

I received a digital review copy of this book from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Written from multiple perspectives, and following a linear timeline, this compelling novel allows the reader to understand the evolving situation from multiple points of view. That said, the full story emerges over time. The pace, which starts off at a good speed, increases with every passing chapter, with tension building in parallel.

The Irish accents are palpable. The reader can very much hear the characters speak, each with their own characteristics and styles.

This is a deeply thought-provoking and emotional novel, dealing with highly sensitive and contentious issues around misogyny, domestic violence and even rape. Not for the fainthearted, but recommended for those who can brave these issues.

I bloody love a bit of Irish fiction. Something about it just hits different, am I right? I think I had overly high hopes for this one, especially given that it was blurbed by my brutal thriller queen Liz Nugent, but unfortunately - despite some really cool elements - it didn’t QUITE land for me in terms of the twist factor & I think I needed more of a surprise element to be “all in”.

Considering this is a debut, it’s pretty impressive thematically, taking on some meaty issues such as mental health, abuse & motherhood with sensitivity. Unfortunately though, I deciphered the fairytale pretty much immediately so that part of the story became stale & repetitive pretty quickly & Jenny’s internal chastising monologue started to grate on me.

The writing was accessible & pacy & I really enjoyed the character of Laura but I could feel myself losing interests when we switched perspectives. I think that this would be a great introductory thriller for those that aren’t veterans of the genre or readers who are prepared to guess the twist early & then enjoy the journey of our protagonist catching up! I think it’s potentially a case of unhelpful marketing as it really hypes you up for a complex mystery... but instead delivers a poignant, slightly melancholy tale of trauma.

I would definitely give this author another try in the future, so will have my beady eye out!

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin and Gill Perdue for an ARC in return for an honest review.

What a debut by Gill! This book is so full of twists and turns that I'm surprised it didn't make me dizzy! This is a great read, the characters are likeable and tension is constantly built throughout. This does not disappoint. I thoroughly recommend.

The specialist interview team have to establish what has happened to selective mute Jenny. Laura 's questioning makes her colleague want to ask if Laura should be doing this interview. A very unusual tale with a lot of tension. A heart breaking topic told in an empathetic way.

This story starts off in one way and then goes in a totally different and unexpected direction which is horrifying. Full of twists and turns. This is totally compulsive reading.

I really enjoyed this book. The back stories of both Jenny and Laura slowly unfold as the tension builds throughout. Great characters and an amazing ending. Highly recommended.

3.5 stars
We start with Jenny, a 14 year old girl, picked up after wandering the streets covered with blood. Fortunately, not her own. Circumstances happen that she is taken to an adult psych ward as she is emotionally vulnerable and there is no room on the children's ward. It is established that her mother and brother are already in the hospital as there was a crash but her step-father is missing. Detectives Laura and Niamh are called in to interview the girl, having been specially trained in this regard. But it soon becomes obvious that Laura's personal life is threatening to overshadow her professional, the repercussions of which could prove disastrous...
Jenny's story is shocking and chilling and disturbing to read on occasion. As was Laura's when we started to unfurl that flag. Put the two together and, occasionally, it was a tad overwhelming. As Laura battles with some way of reaching Jenny, to find out whether she is victim or, well, something worse, it all gets a bit strange as Jenny will only talk in fairytales. I guess it's her mind's way of distancing her from what she went through and telling her side of things through the eyes of another.
It's slow to progress and, at times, I did think about giving up as it was a bit repetitive, slow and confusing. But then I sat back and thought about how I was feeling about the book and how the characters were feeling about the situations they found themselves in...! And duly carried on. I am glad that I did although it did get worse before it got better. And then it finally got going... And, although it did all come to a decent enough conclusion. I'd actually got past the point of caring about the characters by that time.
All in all, probably a good book to some, but one which didn't really suit me. A marmite book for sure and, as such, one that would probably make for a good book club read.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found reading it made me very uncomfortable and I didn’t finish it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is one of the best novels I have read this year, a superb debut by this very talented author, this will not be the last book I read from Gill Perdue, cannot wait for the next book.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me, I found it really slow and difficult to engage with. The characters are unlikeable and I felt nothing for any of them, which when you consider the subject matter is quite surprising. The writing was repetitive and the pacing was all over the place so this didn't help to capture my interest either.

I have read far too many books that centre around trauma and abuse lately, not sure why this has become a narrative device for thrillers and think I have become a bit jaded and worn out by the number of them. That probably didn't help my reading of this novel!