13 Nov / True Story by Kate Reed Petty [in Booklist]
In a story of “they said, she heard, he believed, she can’t remember,” whom do you trust? Even the title misleads – True Story: A Novel – while the final words confirm little: “But I’m trusting you to see this is true … because I made it; because it’s mine.” What is true is that Kate Reed Petty’s debut is an inventive mélange of seemingly disparate genres – thriller, coming-of-age, memoir, film scripts – that meld into a biting narrative about the power of a single toxic story to reveal, destroy, and reinvent.
Kristen Sieh opens as Alice in 2015 Barcelona, as Alice reveals her transformation from suburban Maryland teen to a ghostwriter living in Spain. Dovetailed with Alice’s past is persuasive Alexander Cendese as Nick Brothers, who is destroyed by his loyalty to the misogynistic brotherhood that is his lacrosse team. Veteran Cassandra Campbell briefly (unnecessarily?) moonlights as Alice’s college essay-writing tutor, as well as voices introductory and ending credits. Sieh and Cendese energetically cipher additional characters as relationships evolve and devolve over decades. What lingers are more questions than trustworthy answers.
Review: “Media,” Booklist Online, October 23, 2020
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2020