None of This is True
By Lisa Jewell
Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.
A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Alix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.
Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.
Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cover Art: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
rom the start, Jewell weaves a tense, atmospheric narrative filled with manipulation, control, and unreliable memories. Themes like identity, obsession, and the ethics of using someone’s trauma for true-crime entertainment are central to the story.
Josie’s increasingly erratic behavior and Alix’s own vulnerabilities make you question who is the victim and who is the mastermind.
One of the strengths of the book is its structure: Jewell uses alternating perspectives (Josie, Alix, and other voices) plus formats like interview transcripts and podcast-style storytelling to layer the mystery and blur the lines between fact and fiction.
This really amplifies the sense of paranoia — and it’s easy to feel like you’re being manipulated along with the characters.
That said, the book tackles some very dark topics (including abuse, control, and disturbing family secrets), and some readers have found parts of it hard to swallow.
There’s also a tension between wanting to believe Josie’s narrative and doubting whether she’s using her story for something more sinister.
No comments:
Post a Comment