He Said She Said, by Erin Kelly

Recent Uni grads Laura and Kit witness a violent incident between Jamie and Beth at an eclipse festival in 1999. The fallout affects all of them for the next 16 years as Kit and Laura forge a life together while chasing Kit’s passion for eclipses. The story is told from the differing viewpoints of the couple, moving back and forth in time. Was Beth really the victim she appears to be? Should Laura have befriended her? Is Jamie wrongly accused or a violent psychopath? Is Kit overprotective and why has he not fulfilled the promise of a brilliant career? What secrets have Laura and Kit been keeping from each other about the past and how will this affect their future? A sense of creeping dread pervades the narrative as these questions and more are asked and eventually answered, with the full truth rather different from what could be imagined. Laura and Kit are fully realised characters, who evoke both sympathy and frustration. Beth is a rather annoying puzzle that is satisfactorily solved in the end, while Jamie remains a little two-dimensional on the periphery. A clever structure following the phases of a total eclipse builds suspense right through to a realistic and convincing conclusion, except for the last few paragraphs, which are unnecessary and unbelievably stupid. This lets down what is otherwise a gripping tale.