The Secrets of Strangers is the first book by Charity Norman that I have ever read, but looking at reviews her other books are well worth a read too.
The book begins like any other; a gentle introduction to several characters who you know will become part of the main story as it progresses. You learn a little about each of them so that you feel invested in their lives. The author does not wait long though to unsettle the reader. Within a few pages, a verbal confrontation in the café where all our new acquaintances have ended up as part of their daily routine has turned into a hostage situation with one person already having been shot. As tensions rise in the café, the hostages gradually begin to learn what has driven the gunman, a young man, to this dreadful situation from which there seems to be no going back.
This is not your average crime novel, it delves deep into the reasons why Sam has turned from a loving husband and father into a killer, and it makes you realise that there is always more to any given situation than you actually realise.
All the characters are well drawn, each having their own story to tell reflecting issues that many readers may be familiar with. The life stories shared by the forced companions are very moving, at times quite harrowing and distressing. The way each of them gradually begins to understand each other as well, as the reasons for Sam’s drastic actions, is effectively written. The reader is drawn into the characters’ minds and thought processes as they begin to revise their opinions of their companions. At times the line between right and wrong is very blurred and it certainly makes the reader question where their own sympathies lie.
The plot is tense throughout, keeping the reader gripped, never quite sure which way the storyline will go. The final pages of the book are incredibly moving culminating in a very powerful ending.
The book begins like any other; a gentle introduction to several characters who you know will become part of the main story as it progresses. You learn a little about each of them so that you feel invested in their lives. The author does not wait long though to unsettle the reader. Within a few pages, a verbal confrontation in the café where all our new acquaintances have ended up as part of their daily routine has turned into a hostage situation with one person already having been shot. As tensions rise in the café, the hostages gradually begin to learn what has driven the gunman, a young man, to this dreadful situation from which there seems to be no going back.
This is not your average crime novel, it delves deep into the reasons why Sam has turned from a loving husband and father into a killer, and it makes you realise that there is always more to any given situation than you actually realise.
All the characters are well drawn, each having their own story to tell reflecting issues that many readers may be familiar with. The life stories shared by the forced companions are very moving, at times quite harrowing and distressing. The way each of them gradually begins to understand each other as well, as the reasons for Sam’s drastic actions, is effectively written. The reader is drawn into the characters’ minds and thought processes as they begin to revise their opinions of their companions. At times the line between right and wrong is very blurred and it certainly makes the reader question where their own sympathies lie.
The plot is tense throughout, keeping the reader gripped, never quite sure which way the storyline will go. The final pages of the book are incredibly moving culminating in a very powerful ending.