My first book review of 2019, and I wish it were a more positive one :(. He Said She Said is just another of those numerous domestic thrillers that became so popular after Gone Girl.
I think this whole format has gotten a little tired and overplayed. Having read so many similar books, I immediately knew how the book would play, and there just wasn’t any surprise element at all.
Maybe I should stop with the thrillers, at least until Gillian Flynn writes a new one.
Book Synopsis
In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Kit is an eclipse chaser; Laura has never seen one before. Young and in love, they are confident this will be the first of many they’ll share.
But in the hushed moments, after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. It is her word against his.
The victim seems grateful. Months later, she turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. But as her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder—did she trust the wrong person?
Fifteen years later, Kit and Laura are living under assumed names and entirely off the digital grid: no Facebook, only rudimentary cell phones, not in any directories. But as the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
As you may have guessed from the title, this is a he said, she said sort of book. The book alternates chapters from the point of view of both Laura and Kit.
It takes a while to get into the book, and I read a good 50% of it before figuring out what each was talking about. However, once the plot is unpacked, it’s easy to guess the twist and figure out what happened.
I guess what I am trying to say is that I enjoyed the build-up to the main plot, but the actual story itself was wafer-thin.
That said, I did like some parts. The nerd in me liked all that info about solar eclipses. I never knew people traveling worldwide to watch a solar eclipse was a thing. After reading this book, I have major FOMO. I haven’t seen even a single solar eclipse!
I liked Kit and Laura as characters too. They are a lovely and in-love couple.
There is so much unshared life to intrude upon the marriage; so much opposing history. The defining event of my life is the defining event of Laura’s. I don’t know how couples who haven’t been through something like that stick together.
Erin Kelly did too good a job making them likable, though, and in the second half, when not-so-nice things start coming out, it wasn’t very believable.
Overall, as thrillers go, this was pretty tame and predictable. I liked it enough. It’s suitable for an airport read or when you want something that doesn’t tax your brains. But it’s nothing more than that.
