I enjoyed the book, but some parts did not sound real. What I liked most is the moral dilemma that it explores.
Things come to a head when Saul goes missing, and Holly only receives a message, saying that he is gone to be closer to his dad. The police are called, so Holly has to tell them about the rape accusation, and they have to question Jules and Saffie.
During these days Holly experiences some hard blows. Pete admits that he removed his daughters on purpose because he was afraid of what Saul could do. Holly also has a few run-ins with Jules, and in one of these disagreements she learns that Archie was not as loyal to her as she thought, and he and his colleague, Philippa, had an understanding. When Holly phones Philippa, the woman admits that they had feelings for each other and liked being together, but they were never lovers. When he died, she was with him, and his last words were a request for Holly's forgiveness.
Holly finds her stepdaughter's diary. Freya is Saffie's best friend, and she wonders if she wrote something. So she breaks the lock, and in one entry Freya says that she and Saffie love the same person, but he loves Saffie better. Freya mentions that he bought Saffie the perfume, and she states that loving him could be illegal. Holly thinks that this is proof that Saffie and Saul had a relationship, and he didn't rape her.
Holly finds herself alone with Saffie when she is pushed by a local village to attend some charity event, and Saffie is in the toilet. Holly tells her that she knows she was in love with Saul, and she should tell the truth, but the girl flees without saying a word. When Holly leaves to go home, Rowan approaches him and forces her to let him walk her home, and then he pushes her to let him in. Rowan is horrible and he pushes her and makes her fall. While she lies on the floor, Rowan says that he should do the same as Saul has done to Saffie, but she is unattractive to him, and then he goes.
The police come to say that they have found the body of a young man. He's been dead for a few days but is unreognisable as it is burnt, so they need to verify it is Saul. Holly is shattered, and Pete tries to console her, but she feels he is not the same person she thought he was. That day is when Jules has an appointment for Saffie's termination, but she comes back, saying that she is not pregnant and is not going. Then she goes away.
Saffie finds Holly as the latter has gone to walk. Holly tells her that a body has been found, and Saffie feels terrible. Then she confesses that Saul didn't rape her; she lied, but she won't say who got her pregnant. Holly knows that the girl has miscarried when she describes she is on her period. Then Jules comes and Saffie tells her that she has lied about Saul.
It is Peter who makes her daughter explain who is the person she wrote she was in love with, and Freya confesses that it was their teacher, Harry Bell. The police come to talk to Saffie and she tells them everything, and she says that she told Saul had raped her because Harry had threatened to hurt someone if he told anyone about their relationship. She thought that she could say it had been Saul because as their mothers were friends, Saul could get a telling-off and they would solve everything. Now the teacher has been arrested.
The remains found are not Saul's. Saul is eventually found when Saffie tells Holly that he once told him that his father's spirits is in a chapel in his old chambers. Holly goes there, and Saul is found. He says that he begged for money during the day and at night he came to the chapel. Holly brings him home after she says that Saffie confessed the truth.
Holly and Jules manage to talk, and even though this has been a test to their friendship, they need to work and get back to what their friendship was. Holly and Peter have decided to move to Cambridge where Saul will study photography.
I enjoyed the book, but the parts where the characters manage to forget what has happened so quickly did not sound believable for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment