Alison Mercer

I just love stories that are set in Universities. Stories that examine the friendships formed; cliques, conflicts and coming of age, and of course, how these events effected their later lives.
This story opens with the main character 'Anna' bumping into the former love of her life, from Oxford University, twenty years after they first met. We learn from this meeting that Anna has been estranged from her Oxford friends since the night of St. Bart's Ball, held after their final exams. This is followed by an invitation to the school's reunion. The time has come for Anna to deal with her past.
At this point the author goes back 20 years to the beginning of it all, and for the rest of the book she toggles back & forth between the past & present.

Although I enjoyed finding out what the secrets were, the book does have flaws. The author alludes to the death of a main charcter early on in the book. It's easy for the reader, even in the early pages, to guess what happened. Now, because you're anticipating the event, when it does occur, it's anti-climatic.
The author also inserted a wierd story-line about Anna's biological father. Growing up, her mother refused to discuss him with Anna. She is promised that she will be told after graduation, but once Anna graduates she doesn't seem to want to know anymore. Not sure what the point of this sub-plot was, it really goes nowhere. And it does nothing for the book, a good editor should have removed this section.
Another part I had problems with was the other traumatic incident that occurred on the night of the ball. None of her friends really knew what had happened that evening to make her avoid them for 20 years. They only find out when the author quickly wraps everything up in the last 5 pages. It felt rushed & without proper closure.

I think the book would have been stronger had Alison Mercer spent more time on this event, rather than waste pages on other unnecessary bits. That said, I did find the characters interesting & really enjoyed the setting. It brought me back to my school days!… (més)

Anna has not been back to Oxford since her last summer at university, seventeen years ago ... Then a chance meeting on a rainy day in London brings her past tumbling back into her present, and Anna is faced with remembering the events of that summer and the people she left behind.

This is a well told story of first loves, betrayal and how the past never leaves us. The characters are well drawn and the depiction of University life, especially in the way that friendships wax and wane brought back many personal memories. I like the way the story is told in alternating sections, contrasting the past with the present. It helps to build up the mounting suspense to a reveal that was not what I was expecting.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more by the author.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in return for an honest review.… (més)