Man I found this book boring, the premises was good, a girl is subjected to a horrible serial assault at the hands of a masked man who leaves no trace of DNA behind, she is given an experimental drug to help her forget and we follow the repercussions of this on her and her family.

Now my issue with this book was it was told from the psychologists point of view and for me it just didn't work, personally I felt like it kept me at a distance from the characters, I also hated our main characters parents. The writing style for this one seemed a bit off for me too and there was a lot of waffle it read a bit like a literary fiction story.

I found this book interesting because I had never heard of drug therapy to treat ptsd. I didn't like how the psychiatrist set up Bob Sullivan to take the fall. That was unprofessional. I would recommend this novel to my peers.

This was an amazing read for me.
Yes it has a rape story in this which it’s centres around however, it’s also telling us about this drug that can be used to erase parts of memory, this was the bit I was enthralled with.

It’s such a well written laid out book.

The person she is talking to (therapy) is also an intriguing factor.
He also is helping her mother and father through this.

We get to meet some other “patients “ within these pages.

I was riveted throughout and the twist at the end was extraordinary that really spooked my senses.

This author has fast become a favourite of mine. I have read books by her in the past and now this has rekindled my eagerness to see what other books I’ve missed by her.

This story is well written in the main, the ending has a certain stereo-typicality built into it that I didn't like, however it's discussions of a severely traumatic experience and the impact on, and the emotional reactions of, the family around Jenny are thought provoking.
In reviewing this book I have two specific influencing disclaimers:-
Issues of historic sexual issues and memory issues are an ethical minefield, my experience as a hypnotherapist who has treated people with PTSD means I view thought experiments like this one with a certain concern. Mainly that people then ask if this is possible, to remove memories rather than dealing, in a healthy way, with the results of them.
Society is a wide ranging group and the specific issues facing the college age groups in the specific area may library is situated in mean I wouldn't be able to use this book. However as librarians we know our communities and in one where the issues covered were less sensitive in 2016, this would be a book that would be recommended.

This was not really what I was expecting from a book.

This is, without doubt, an interesting absorbing read that will keep you guessing. Our main character, Jenny, is attacked in the woods at a party and brutally raped. Given treatment at the hospital to erase her memory she struggles to come to terms with what has happened to her and wants to remember so she can deal with it. Her father is also keen to find the rapist and wants to unlock her memories.

We are introduced to a small collection of characters in the novel through the eyes of their psychotherapist. The story reads a little too much like a collection of case notes interspersed with the therapists personal comments and little teasers about what is to come. It is obvious that the patients he details all have their part to play in the story but figuring it out is not easy, specially with all the red herrings and false leads that the story is strewn with.

I scored this four mostly because of the extremely slow pace and the exceptionally neat tying up of loose ends - if only all things in life fell into place that easily we would all be happy!

Thanks to net galley for a preview copy in exchange for an honest review

Fairview, Connecticut is a quiet, affluent town that not much happens in. That all changes one night when a girl, Jenny Kramer, is viciously attacked at a friend’s party. She is rushed to hospital where her wounds are treated, and is also give a drug that will erase the memories of her assault. The town is shocked and the search for the attacker begins. Jenny is slowly healing, but the emotional turmoil is a struggle, especially as her factual recall of the night has gone. Her father, Tom, is obsessed with finding the man himself and her mother is trying to pretend it never took place at all.

To help recover the little memory she has she is working with a therapist, Alan. He is using a number of methods to try and draw the memories out again. He is helping her parents too; and as the secrets are uncovered from all three of them, the tensions from all of this put a strain on their marriage before rippling out through the to the wider community, bringing to the surface events that have been hidden for years and are probably best forgotten

In this psychological thriller, Walker, explores the reasoning behind using these types of experimental drugs normally used to treat PTSD, and how they would affect a girl who now cannot remember a single thing about her attacker. The story is chiefly told from the therapists point of view as he treats his three patients, but it did feel that it was switching around a few times, and took a bit of getting used to. It was quite graphic at times and occasionally made for grim reading, but there were a couple of good twists in the story which helped make it a page turner. Overall not bad and liked that she was exploring a different way of writing a thriller, but I like a little more ambiguity in these type of books.

HalfmanHalfbook

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

This book started with a description of an attack that was so shocking and graphic I found myself holding my breath in the hope that the victim would somehow get away. The story progressed with gusto until the introduction of the psychologist - in the beginning I found his manner of narrating his side of things slightly jargonised and stilted. However from about half way in the book something 'occurred' and his demeanour totally changed. Lots of twists and turns as well as a little frustration at behaviours of some characters. Will keep you guessing till the end.

This book was written in such an unexpected and fascinating way. When i began reading it was completely different to what i was expecting but in the best way. The POV gave such a unique take on this family going through such a terrible time and i was never sure what twist the story would have next. I definitely recommend this book.

A thought-provoking book which didn't shy away from difficult themes. I enjoyed it as much for solving the mystery of the rape as for learning about the process of therapy. Gripping and unnerving and will probably reduce you to tears as you are drawn into the world of a family and community shattered by a rape attack.

I found the style in which the book was written (?first person minor) difficult to read. The content e.g. the descriptions of the rape, and the way therapy was conducted were unpalatable. I've enjoyed some of the other novels from this author.

This is completely personal preference but it was too graphic for me. I only got a couple of pages in and it was too vivid and dark for me to read.