Drama Archives

To clarify from the beginning:

If you’re looking for a thriller about the aftermath of an earthquake, filled with excitement and suspense and action, you will get that only in small doses from this book.

If you’re looking for a thriller that is a character study of how people deal with tragedy and how it affects their behavior, you’ll get much more of that.

Really, I thought this would be more about the former, but ended up being much more focused on the latter.

I have mixed feelings about all of it.

It really was an excellent analysis of how quickly society could deteriorate in the face of a major catastrophe. I felt that several of the incidents were accurately portrayed and would probably recur across the landscape of the affected area.

These descriptions were brutally detailed. I think the author wrote them in such a way to really emphasize the desperation and barbaric behavior. When civil society disappears in an instant, what happens and who survives?

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With that being said, I felt that some points were belabored a bit too much and took me away from the humanity aspect of all of it.

For example, I understand why the author wrote the characters of Beegie and Dessa with the backgrounds each had. They had pasts, secrets that they would never tell anyone in a “normal” situation.

But it’s possible that they both recognized that in each other even without actually acknowledging it.

However, there are certainly some uncomfortable parts of the book. And I’m not sure if they contributed to the overall story or were included to make socially aware observations.

Also be warned, there are a number of potentially triggering topics that are addressed in this book, including (but not limited to) sexual assault, infidelity, and racial bias. It’s a lot to take in, especially considering the harrowing post-catastrophe setting.

Honestly, I felt a little beat up myself when I finished reading this. I was emotionally drained. That’s not to say that I didn’t like the book – I thought it was fine. But at times I felt like it was all “too much.”

I would still recommend it. Just know that you’re not getting a simple post-apocalyptic action thriller – you’re getting a searing look at human nature as well.

As the blurb says, “A propulsive page-turner grounded by unforgettable characters and a deep emotional core, JUST GET HOME will strike a chord with mainstream thriller readers for its legitimately heart-pounding action scenes, and with book club audiences looking for weighty, challenging content.”

For once, that’s totally accurate.

AUTHOR BIO:

Originally from Colorado, Bridget Foley attended NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and UCLA’s School of Theater, Film & Television. She worked as an actor and screenwriter before becoming a novelist. She now lives a fiercely creative life with her family in Boise, Idaho.

I have mixed feelings about this book.

On the one hand it was an epic story with excellent examples of gaslighting that highlighted both the vulnerability and the resilience of women.

On the other hand, the male character was so vile that I had a difficult time with him. He was so unlikeable to me that parts were unenjoyable to read.

I guess in a way that’s a good thing, because he was that real to me. Fortunately, I have never had the pleasure of dealing with such a person in real life.

The story is told mainly from the perspective of Grace. But she receives an email that lets her know that her husband isn’t who she thinks he is. We then get a few chapters from the point of view of the girlfriend(s).

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/36JHKTQ Amazon US: https://amzn.to/3ns1P83

That’s right, Daniel leads quite the double (triple? Quadruple?) life.

The author did a good job weaving the stories so that it was fairly easy to see where overlap was and how Daniel manipulated the women. It was also frustrating, though, because I wanted to yell at them for some of the more obvious instances.

I thought that there were moments where the prose got away from the author. There is such a thing as too much description. At times it felt like it bogged down a little bit.

While it was a fascinating look at mental manipulation, it does take a darker turn that some readers might find troubling.

I for one enjoyed it. I understand that this was both based on a true story and the first in a series. It will certainly be interesting to see how the author follows up.

**Twitter:** @Deborah_Twelves
**Facebook:** debbie.twelves
**Instagram:** deborahtwelvesauthor

About Deborah Twelves:

Deborah Twelves was born in Sheffield, but raised in Ponteland, Northumberland. She studied French and Spanish at Edinburgh University and taught languages for some years while living in France, Spain and Northern Quebec. She now divides her time between her home in Pwllheli, on the Llyn Peninsula of North Wales and her family home in Northumberland but often travels abroad. She has a black Labrador called Nala and a black Lusitano horse called Recurso (Ric), who take up a lot of her spare time, although yacht racing, which she began at an early age with her father, remains her great passion.

Deborah has written many articles for the sailing press over the years and Twenty Years a Stranger is her debut novel, based on true events in her life. It is the first book in the Stranger Trilogy. The other two books, Ghost of a Stranger and The Boy Stranger will follow soon.

Here’s a bonus interview between Alison Pierse and Deborah Twelves:
https://vimeo.com/461365450?ref=em-share