He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly

The title of this novel suggests that this is a case of interpretation or lies, one word against the other's. However, I didn't find this to be the case that much in the story, in the way that I expected, although it is definitely a tale about intention, manipulation and honesty.

The story centres around a couple who were witness to an assault in 2015 in Cornwall, their views of it, as well as from the present. Told in alternate first person perspectives, the  versions not quite lining up. Plus, there are things not seen. There is a trial in court, which is tense, although it is quite short-lived, but serves to highlight the flaws in the judicial system in sexual assault cases. The rest of the story unfolds slowly until the climax and the reader is left wondering what it's all about.

An interesting feature is a background of eclipses (one of the central characters is an eclipse-follower) that does add another  flavour to the book. Whether the light and dark symbolism works in this instance is debatable, but the 'hiding' theme is a nice touch. Reminds of the recent eclipse events in my own life.

The book is well structured and raises some points to think about, but not quite what I was expecting. Would benefit from being shorter to keep the pace and perhaps increase suspense, but an enjoyable read.​

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Published by Hodder & Stoughton on 20 April 2017.

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