4 Stars from me
This is a interesting one… On the one hand it is a straightforward tale on the fence of the ‘he said she said’ issue when it comes to rape, how does a jury ever truly reach a correct answer when only the two parties involved know the actual truth. On the other, it is an incredibly though provoking story that digs deeper into the ‘entitlement’ borne of privilege, the expectation that a wife will stand by her husband, the ‘protection’ afforded to those from wealthy, connected families and the weight of responsibility which rests upon the legal profession.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book (although very much not the subject matter!) and can easily see it being televised in a similar shocking, sensationalist style as Apple Tree Yard.
I don’t want to give any spoilers but suffice it to say I felt incredibly disappointed in Sophie, she sounded like a vibrant and intelligent young lady who should have known better!
Synopsis: An astonishingly incisive and suspenseful novel about a scandal amongst Britain’s privileged elite and the women caught up in its wake.
Sophie’s husband James is a loving father, a handsome man, a charismatic and successful public figure. And yet he stands accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is convinced he is innocent and desperate to protect her precious family from the lies that threaten to rip them apart. Kate is the lawyer hired to prosecute the case: an experienced professional who knows that the law is all about winning the argument. And yet Kate seeks the truth at all times. She is certain James is guilty and is determined he will pay for his crimes. Who is right about James? Sophie or Kate? And is either of them informed by anything more than instinct and personal experience?
Despite her privileged upbringing, Sophie is well aware that her beautiful life is not inviolable. She has known it since she and James were first lovers, at Oxford, and she witnessed how easily pleasure could tip into tragedy. Most people would prefer not to try to understand what passes between a man and a woman when they are alone: alone in bed, alone in an embrace, alone in an elevator… Or alone in the moonlit courtyard of an Oxford college, where a girl once stood before a boy, heart pounding with excitement, then fear. Sophie never understood why her tutorial partner Holly left Oxford so abruptly. What would she think, if she knew the truth?
