After the lie by Kerry Fisher.

After the lie by Kerry Fisher.
Published: 29th April 2016 by Bookouture.
ISBN: 1910751812
Available to buy on Amazon UK and Amazon US.
Big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

#TalkoftheTown Talk of the town

‘Your past will devastate your family. But your lies could destroy them. What would YOU do?
Sometimes a lie can split your life in two. There is “before”, and there is “after”. Try as you might – you can never go back.
When Lydia was a teenager, she made a decision that ruined her family’s life. They’ve spent the last thirty years living with the consequences and doing their best to pretend it never happened.
Lydia’s husband, the gorgeous and reliable Mark, and her two teenage children know nothing about that summer back in 1982. And that’s the way Lydia wants it to stay. The opportunity to come clean is long gone and now it’s not the lie that matters, it’s the betrayal of hiding the truth for so long.
When someone from the past turns up as a parent at the school gates, Lydia feels the life she has worked so hard to build slipping through her fingers. The more desperate she becomes to safeguard her family, the more erratic her behaviour becomes. But when the happiness of her own teenage son, Jamie, hangs in the balance, Lydia is forced to make some impossible decisions. Can she protect him and still keep her own secret – and if she doesn’t, will her marriage and family survive?’

Have you ever told a lie? No, I don’t mean a ‘no I didn’t eat the last biscuit’ type of lie or a ‘no I didn’t just trip my little sister up’ lie. I mean a lie that could have the power to change everything. Have you? Interesting. Before I read this book, I asked myself exactly the same question as I have just asked you, to get into the zone of the book purely based on the title.  After the lie is a story about betrayal. A story about family and the strength that is within. Lydia has made mistakes in her life, after all, she is only human. However, does she have to ‘pay’ for the mistakes she made as a teenager, for the rest of her life? Will the betrayal be brushed off as ‘teenage years’?
Lydia has tried to get on with her life with her husband and two children but when opportunities arise for several members of the family, it could threaten the black cloud that has loomed over Lydia’s head for many years. Is there about to be a storm? Or will they be dancing in the rain?
As soon as you begin reading the book, you’re swept into Lydia’s life and her emotions, her world becomes yours for the duration of the story. If you’re anything like me you will start wondering for the word go. Well, if you’re a total book nut then you’ll be pretty nosy and curious when it comes to any book. Correct? Thought so. Every page had me thinking to myself ‘what happened?!’. Then, once that question got answered within the story, my thoughts switched to ‘are you for real?!’ in response to many of the characters! Obviously I’m not going to say which ones, but I did sit with my hand over my mouth in shock. To be fair though, I sat like that throughout the book! The only character I will mention is Mabel. Ahhhh, Mabel, such a minx and as you will find out, could not give a flying furball about anything.
Kerry Fisher has written a book full of emotion which captures the true essence of the topics involved, without glossing over the true message.  She has written an incredibly powerful book with an extremely powerful message, and when you finish reading the book, the power will still be in your mind. The message will still be there, reminding you of the family and what they have had to deal with. Some readers might say that it is a relatable book. Only you will know that for yourselves once you have read it. I cannot recommend this book enough. It was a book that grabbed my attention from beginning to end. High praise for Kerry Fisher and her wonderful writing!!