Our Dark Secret, Jenny Quintana, Pan Macmillan, ISBN: 9781509839469
JENNY Quintana’s Our Dark Secret was described as ’emotional and gripping’ on its cover. I found that it was anything but, and could easily say it is probably the worst book I have ever read.
It follows the story of Elizabeth, who is pulled back to the painful memories of her teenage years after a skeleton is uncovered in her hometown.
Slowly (and painfully so) the truth behind the remains is revealed. About 200 of the 300 odd pages were spent on uneventful flashbacks of the pitiful, unpopular and overweight teen who becomes obsessed with the (then) new girl, Rachel.
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It was incredibly difficult to connect to, or even sympathise with Elizabeth, whose self-centered nature is not only self-destructive, but also hurts those around her. I had to force myself to finish the book.
The only thing that kept me going was the mystery behind the skeleton. I was convinced the book would have a slow build up to an epic ending.
Sadly, the ending also fell flat. It felt rushed and very anticlimactic. One thing I will give the author is I never saw the end coming.
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