It Could Never Happen Here is the first book I have read by Eithne Shortall, but it won’t be the last as I really enjoyed it. There are great similarities between this book and those of Marian Keyes, in that quite dark matters are handled with a real deftness of touch, and effectively intertwined with moments of laugh out loud humour.
The plot is not actually that original, having much in common with Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, but set in West Cork rather than Australia! The book opens with the police investigating a death that has occurred at a local school, but you don’t find out who has died, how or why until near the end. Also like Big Little Lies, to find out the reasons for the death, you need to learn more about the main characters, their families and shared history. The book perfectly illustrates that what is shown on the surface e.g. school friends growing into long-time friends, with their children also becoming friends, often hides years of unspoken rivalries, resentments and secrets.
Following the discovery of the death, the book goes back to 15 days earlier to gradually reveal the events leading up to the death, providing the reader with clues as to what happened. It all revolves around an ambitious school play at Glass Lake Primary School and a group of highly competitive parents (the Glass Lakers) who wield considerable power when it comes to the casting of the play.
As the 15 days count down towards the day of the death, and the day of the play’s opening night, the reader discovers the truth about the village of Cooney; secret relationships; desperate lies told to protect others; concealed pasts; debts owed; shame and guilt; not to mention missing cat. All of these hidden secrets eventually unravel, revealing a dark secret and culminating in a tragic death.
The plot is not actually that original, having much in common with Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, but set in West Cork rather than Australia! The book opens with the police investigating a death that has occurred at a local school, but you don’t find out who has died, how or why until near the end. Also like Big Little Lies, to find out the reasons for the death, you need to learn more about the main characters, their families and shared history. The book perfectly illustrates that what is shown on the surface e.g. school friends growing into long-time friends, with their children also becoming friends, often hides years of unspoken rivalries, resentments and secrets.
Following the discovery of the death, the book goes back to 15 days earlier to gradually reveal the events leading up to the death, providing the reader with clues as to what happened. It all revolves around an ambitious school play at Glass Lake Primary School and a group of highly competitive parents (the Glass Lakers) who wield considerable power when it comes to the casting of the play.
As the 15 days count down towards the day of the death, and the day of the play’s opening night, the reader discovers the truth about the village of Cooney; secret relationships; desperate lies told to protect others; concealed pasts; debts owed; shame and guilt; not to mention missing cat. All of these hidden secrets eventually unravel, revealing a dark secret and culminating in a tragic death.