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I Have to Tell You Something

£5.795£11.59Clearance
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I was given access to read this book for free through online book club The Pigeonhole. This is an honest and voluntary review. A minor thing though is that I, personally, would have liked to read more about how Chasten and his husband Peter met and fell in love, not just being told about it in such a matter-of-fact kind of way that felt different from the other parts of the story. It would have added a lot to the story if it had included more of their first meetings, letting us readers feel the attraction and butterflies, and seeing it evolve into their current HEA. I would also have liked to know more about Chasten’s experiences after coming out and learning to be comfortable as a gay man before meeting Peter. But I’m guessing that those parts were included in the full memoir for adults and had been edited away to keep this story shorter and more focused on the early ages. Which makes complete sense, and also makes me want to read the full memoir to find out! What I was promised was a crime/mystery, when in reality what this novel provided was a boring story about personal life of a lawyer who happens to have a client who has/hasn't killed his wife.

Best known as the husband of erstwhile presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, Chasten Buttigieg proves that he is very much his own man in this arresting memoir. . . . [He] records, in fascinating detail, the challenge and occasional lunacy of the campaign trail. Insightful and never dull, this smoothly written book is sure to attract a wide readership. Near its end, Chasten writes, 'I want to do my best to keep contributing to a kinder, more welcoming America.' With this book, he has made a splendid start." — Booklist (starred) Kureishi was born in London to a Pakistani father and an English mother. His father, Rafiushan, was from a wealthy Madras family, most of whose members moved to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947. He came to Britain to study law but soon abandoned his studies. After meeting and marrying Kureishi’s mother Audrey, Rafiushan settled in Bromley, where Kureishi was born, and worked at the Pakistan Embassy. Rob's wife Kate had a difficult relationship with Ursula. Life will certainly be easier now, without her every moveUnfortunately, I feel that there are so many psychological thrillers and crime novels out there that it must be virtually impossible to write something original. So praise to those that do it – I just think it’s time for something totally new. Everyone is walking a unique path. This story is not just about Chasten feeling different than the cultural archetypes his childhood community valued because he was gay. This is a story where every teen who has felt out of step with the “mainstream,” every child who has been teased because of their appearance, their disability, their social awkwardness, every adolescent trying to make sense of who they are can see themselves. And know that they are not alone. It will get better.

Unfortunately, in this novel, little is shown and almost everything is described, in such superficial, tedious details, that the reader never develops empathy. There are a whole range of topics raised that could have been explored: sexual abuse; sexual freedom versus repression; migration and return; how we come to terms with the past, but all of these are unexplored in any depth, and certainly sit at the outside of Jamal’s naval gazing, which mostly focuses on his organ size, and why he can’t commit to anything. There isn’t a lot that can be revealed about this book beyond the synopsis, and that means it has a lot of secrets - always a good thing! This was a slower read, but also one that you don’t mind luxuriating in because the journey is that good. This is a pretty good contemporary mystery/thriller. Jessica "Jay" Wells is a high-profile criminal defense attorney outside of London. She is married to Tom, a criminal barrister, and they have two college-aged children. When Edward Blake, a well-known architect and developer, is arrested for allegedly killing his wife, Jay is hired by the family to represent him. The family insists that there is no way that Ed killed his wife, and are desperate for Jay to free him. Set in contemporary Ireland, the story delves into the tensions that often exist in extended family life, however much people may sometimes wish to pretend otherwise. Just how damaging this kind of denial can be is brilliantly demonstrated in this masterful novel.Witty and sharp, mischievous and no-nonsense, and pointedly political. . . . Chasten writes candidly about contemplating suicide as a gay teenager, the intensity of participating in a history-making presidential campaign, and the long-lasting effects of sexual assault. . . . Chasten isn't just married to a gifted politician. He's become one himself."— The Daily Beast Meanwhile, Christina, the victims' fragile daughter, is carrying a private pain she's never been able to speak about. This is a story of murder, love, loyalty and betrayal. Jay is also struggling with her husband Tom's infidelity. The characters are well developed and intriguing but I did not like Tom for several reasons. I did like Edward and Jay. The pace was steady and the story was interesting until we got near the end, and the ending (for me) spoilt the whole book. A favourite conversation with Valentin concerned moral absolutes and ideas he’d found in Balzac, Nietzsche, Turgenev and Dostoevsky about nihilism and murder. There are family secrets aplenty, as well as those who fear the discovery of them, but is it really reasonable to think that Jimmy and Ursula's awful deaths could be laid at the door of any of their nearest and dearest?

The author, Michelle McDonagh, does an excellent job of keeping readers engaged without resorting to sensationalism or stretching credulity in any way. This is one of those debut novels that has clearly been brewing in the writer's mind for some time, and readers will benefit from the maturity of the narrative. As family secrets are pulled to the surface, everyone has something they want to keep hidden - Christina, the youngest Kennedy daughter, is already struggling with her mental health. If she tells anyone what she knows, the consequences could be devastating.The new case is the perfect distraction, then again maybe it becomes too much of one, because the man accused of brutally murdering his wife is very charming. Every piece of evidence suggests he is guilty, and yet Jay knows this man was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps my son would, one day, prefer to be blown by a stranger in a toilet, or perhaps he would like to be spanked while being fellated by a Negro transvestite.” Told chiefly from Kate’s point of view, plus a few chapters from Ursula and Jimmy, as the investigation proceeds, McDonagh flits around in time, allowing the history and secrets of our main characters to be slowly unfurled. And sure, lookit, they’ve all enough skeletons in the cupboard but are any motive enough for murder? It’s hard to express my frustrations with the story without spoiling the plot. Suffice it to say, if you prefer books where you’re not yelling at the main character for repeatedly either not actually taking action or for making stupid decisions then avoid this.

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