#auhtor

October 13, 1988 - May Pang during Benefit for World Rainforest Presevation at World Financial Center in New York City, New York, United States.

St. Martin's Press, 2018

Summary:

After a ladies night of drinking wine and gossiping around the fire pit, Kristen disappears with her children leaving her doctor husband, beautiful home and seemingly perfect life behind. The neighborhood is left reeling at the mystery, especially as the investigation continues with no answers increasing the mounting suspicion of Paul, Kristen’s mildly domineering and seemingly aloof husband. This fear is especially acute for Kristen’s closest neighbor Clara who lost a friend to domestic violence— a secret she holds close to her. The neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy is less convinced of Paul’s culpability and sees in him someone who is nursing heartbreak similar to her own. As the investigation continues, it becomes apparent that these neighbors do not know as much about each other as they originally thought.

Reflection:

Jessica Strawser creates a colorful and visual world in her suspense Not That I Could Tell. It’s a mystery that asks the question, “how well do you actually know your neighbor?” Truly its funny to think that you may be willing to give this person a key to your house, but they could have another life and persona you’re completely unaware of. It’s an uncomfortable and frightening truth, which is probably why it makes such a great thematic premise for a suspense.

Not That I Could Tell is a pretty straightforward suspense that exists somewhere in between the domestic noirs of Liane Moriarty and the atmospheric elusive thrillers of Gillian Flynn. It was an intensely enjoyable fast read and I completely recommend for fans of the genre or either of the above authors.

I always appreciate a female centric story, especially one that is focused on women helping other women instead of competing or stepping on each other. Not That I Could Tell does this beautifully and has some really awesome and unique female characters that I really enjoyed exploring through the novel. Another important thing about this book is that it points out that domestic violence/abuse isn’t always the most obvious iteration. There’s more to it that explosive outbursts of anger and violence. Not that I Could Tell speaks to the importance of checking in and keeping vigilant. The more knowledge we ecru, the more comfortable we are discussing it, adept at picking up the warning signs, the more proactive we can be about preventing it.