A plot that rewards you for your loyalty

‘She’s Not Sorry’ – Mary Kubica

Meghan Michaels is trying to find balance between being a single mum to a teenage daughter and working as a full-time nurse. While on duty at the hospital one day, a patient named Caitlin arrives in a coma, having plunged from a bridge onto train tracks below.

But when a witness comes forward with shocking details about the fall, it calls everything they know into question. Was Caitlin pushed and if so, by whom and why?

Meghan has always tried to stay emotionally detached from her patients, but this time, she mistakenly lets herself get too close, until she’s deeply entangled in Caitlin’s and her family’s lives. Only when it’s too late, does she realise that she and her daughter could be the next victims.

This is a book which rewards you for your loyalty. At first, I thought this was not going to be as good as many of the other reads from Kubica: I appreciate this writer’s style for the intense, developed narrative that packs a punch with plenty of surprises along the way. However, I did feel that this novel was very slow to get started, to the point that I started to lose interest.

Yet, this slow opening is all for a very good reason as the writer does this to establish the foundations for what then becomes a pacy second half. I could not put it down once I had realised the plot direction and I relished in the intense surprises along the way. This was Kubica’s writing that I have grown to love. The synergy that comes from seemingly two different plots is finally explained as there is a link between Meghan’s work and the patient she cares for.

There is a lot going on in this book which I think explains why the first half is more slow. Meghan’s characterisation was developed so when the action really kicks off, I felt like I truly knew her and her home life. The threat against women constantly played in the background which added further tension to the story, especially as it seems that Meghan’s front door never truly seems secure. Add in the basement scene and I found my heart was in my mouth: clearly Meghan is not safe and suddenly, thanks to the intricate plot, there could be many reasons behind it.

I enjoy Kubica’s writing and I think the second part of the story really makes up for the simmering beginning. It felt different to other novels I have read by this author because of this slower start. On the other hand, the plot development and gradual build-up is part of Kubica’s writing that I enjoy. Add to the fact that the protagonist is always trying to do her best for her teenage-nearly-adult daughter, navigating being a single parent and having an intense job, meant there were plenty of elements where I sympathised with Meghan. She constantly feels afraid for herself and her daughter – like she is a danger magnet – and so when things start happening that are not in her favour, I found myself gripped and determined to know what the outcome would be.

This was a solid read from Kubica and one that has a gripping second half. It is definitely worth persevering as the first half really helps to establish significant plot developments that readers see later on.

With thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.