Title: Anatomy of a Scandal
Author: Sarah Vaughan
Published: January 2018, Atria/Emily Bestler Books
Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
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?
My thoughts: I picked this book up at BookExpo last Spring and was quite excited to read it. Little did I know how timely a read it would turn out to be, nor how good!
This is absolutely a slow-burning type of read, that little by little peels back the layers until you have the full story. And I loved that it was crafted that way – it kept me in suspense and on edge all the way through, trying to put all the pieces together, and wondering just how it would all play out. It’s one of those books where it’s probably best that the less you know going into it, the more you will enjoy it, so I won’t say too much about the plot itself.
At it’s core, this is a tale about whether being privileged gives you cart blanch to do what you want. What I loved is that right from the start, I felt no sympathy for James, and I felt like I was never made to. He was despicable all the way through – there was no wavering on this.
I loved that as the story progresses, so does the intensity. The courtroom drama was as compelling as it was interesting – I didn’t know much about they ways of the British legal system, so this was quite an education. And the characters are all vivid and complex. Having it told from multiple points of view and moving back and forth in time really gives it a dynamic feel.
This book is one that had me thinking throughout. It’s sad that this type of fiction is such a reality in our world today, in one way or another, and yet I feel as if Sarah Vaughan has still created quite the addicting read. It’s a gripping read that, while maybe not for everyone, is sure to be a hit with those who enjoy a slow-burning suspenseful read.
I'm hearing mostly positive things about this book. Some are not so pleased, but that's the way things go. Very timely indeed and, yes, I'm planning to try it at some point this spring.