The Cry – Helen Fizgerald

Psychological Thriller
5*’s

This psychological thriller is a taut engaging novel which seems to ratchet up the tension with each turned page. The revelations are perfectly timed and this book of wrongs peels back the layers of truth brutally and with relish.

This is not a particularly long book at 307 pages, it is very much a tale of our times with facebook stalking, blogs and twitter all making an appearance and judgement on Joanna. This is the story of a woman who believed a man would cherish her forever, a daughter abandoned by her father and a baby that goes missing.

A twenty hour plane journey to visit her boyfriend’s mother is almost more than poor Joanna can bear. Baby Noah is just nine weeks old and is crying incessantly and Joanna has an ear infection, the passengers are annoyed and Alistair has gone to sleep. In short the start of this trip is nothing short of a nightmare. Believe it or not this is only the start of a horrendous chain of events.

This is a book that is entirely too plausible which is why it will resonate with the deep-seated fear of every parent. Helen Fizgerald has accurately captured the feelings that most parents feel but never admit too, the strain that suddenly shines a spot light on a relationship showing up all the dirt that was hidden previously. The scenes with the other characters are also accurate, unlike many books, those around Joanna and Alistair interact in a way entirely consistent with what they know. Each sentence takes the reader further into the nightmare. The power of the writing meant I felt almost complicit in the events with. Sympathy for Joanna vying with horror at what had happened.

I am fascinated how the media can orchestrate the reactions of their readers and this book shows the media at their best as they swing the public opinion in one direction, and then another, as events are revealed.

I struggle to call this an enjoyable read due to the subject matter but one that I simply couldn’t put down in my eagerness to find out the truth. I will be buying the back catalogue from this Australian Author.

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