A Fearful Lie - Jean Fournier Johnson

4 Stars!

ABOUT THE BOOK -

By the time Gloria sees the little boy step out from between the parked cars it is too late. She hears the sickening thud as her vehicle strikes his body. She remembers that third drink at the bar, her husband's career as a police officer. Fearful that if she stays she will ruin the lives of those she loves, Gloria drives away. She leaves the child on the sidewalk for his mother to find. Having convinced herself she can live with this decision, Gloria is surprised to find her guilt beginning to take a toll on her family. Turning away from her marriage as it falls apart, she decides to atone for her crime by devoting her life to helping others. What better place to start than with Marisa, the mother of the boy she killed?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Jean earned a B.A. (Honours English, Great Distinction, Celanese Canada Prize for Outstanding Achievement), an M.A. in English and taught a writing course at Concordia University in Montreal. 

MY THOUGHTS -

Wow, what a wonderful but sad and heartbreaking book. I found myself in tears more than a few times. I thought it was well written and certainly had great character development! I really felt that by the middle of the book I knew Gloria and her family very well. The author does an excellent job with this.

This is written in first person and it really reads almost like a memoir. It felt so real to me. I thought I was reading all the accounts as they were really unfolding. The story was not so far fetched. I can see this happening and I am sure it does. We hear about it and read about it in the news, but we never get to hear the thoughts or the after effects of the guilty party - now we do.

Gloria's pain and guilt felt so real to me, and I could really understand her dilemma. I knew she had to do the "right thing" by turning herself in, but somehow, once I got to know her as a person, the right thing didn't feel so right anymore. I understood her position. I am in no way saying that I would have driven away and not told! I definitely would have called 911, but I understood why she didn't, as wrong as it was.

My only reason for a 4 star rating and not 5 was that it did get a little long and slow in the middle for me. The first 1/3 and last 1/3 are definitely 5 stars.

I read this book in almost one day, finishing up the last bit the following morning. I hope this author continues to write - I would definitely read more from her.

Thank you Ravenswood Publishing for sending me this ebook for my honest review.

Get your copy from Amazon - HERE