Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?
Zara Kaleel, one of London's brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.
When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie's best friend doesn't believe her.
But Zara does—and she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion. (Pub Date: Dec 08, 2020)
This is a dramatic courtroom thriller.
Zara has changed her life, getting rid of an arranged marriage, making a career change to something that matters more than being a barrister. But fate decides to get back at her with her new case helping a disabled girl who's been gang raped—the culprits were four Muslim boys and the case can only be solved in a courtroom of they-said versus she-said.
I say this deserves 3+ stars.
The writer was brave, I kept wondering why did she get into all this drama, for unlike Zara she had a choice to easily avoid having to discuss racism versus ableism and misogyny as the cherry on top. This story made me very curious about how far she would go, and I say she was brave to the end.
Character-wise, this book was a fluke for me. Zara was unbearable, so were all her friends, her romantic interest even worst and even Jodie, the victim, was a hard one to enjoy. I think the character I came closer to appreciate was Farid, but then you remember what Jodie is accusing him and his friends of and that gave the read a bitter taste.
Half of the story takes place in a courtroom. Although I'm actually a lawyer myself—or because?—, I'm not a big fan of books talking about the dynamics of a trial. So, as expected, I wasn't very excited for it in this one, but it was fine. And for something about rape, the writer fared very well with the points she raised. I actually learned a lot and reflected even more.
So this is surely an interesting reading and it goes by fast too. It still made me anxious, and the characters didn't help me distract from that.
Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.
Rating: 3 out of 5.
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