Title: Who did you tell?
Author: Lesley Kara
Genre: Psychological thriller
# of pages: 400
Date of publication: 26th Dec 2019
My ratings: 3.5 stars
Astrid lost her way during her teenage years. There’s no sob story behind her alcoholism. That was decades back. Now she’s sober for over 180 days. Staying with her mom, Astrid reflects on her life and her mistake. She’s anxious and inept. Just the moment she was putting everything back in place, things go haywire. She’s being haunted by something or someone sinister. The hopes and changes she brought in life will turn for worse!
Astrid narrates her story and we can see the entire being played from her perspective. She is a recuperating alcoholic so you can hear her thoughts. It’s rare when we hear thoughts from the other side. There aren’t many characters, but they are pivotal. The story focusses on Astrid, her couple of AA friends and Josh, someone she started seeing.
While the story is captivating, what impressed me most is the character of Astrid. Lesley Kara brought out the depth of the personality with no efforts. You can see her fights (mental fights to keep herself away from alcohol).
The central theme is about guilt, and it has a ripple effect. It also talks about controlling behaviour and alcoholism. The author has touched a sensitive with grace and substance. It is a unique crime fiction book for regular crime fiction fans.
I’d not say every page is exciting but riveting to keep turning pages. The book is a slow burner but had content that keeps you hooked for more on each page. The ending is fairly surprising with twists that will shock the readers.
Who did you tell? by Lesley Kara is a psychological thriller about deceit, guilt, revenge and controlling other people’s lives without understanding the effect it has on people.
Confessions of a Reading Freak 