Laura
works as a volunteer at an organization called End of the Line, a type of Samaritans,
where distressed and suicidal people can speak and share their problems. Laura
and her co workers are not there to advise or suggest but rather act as a kind
of online friend or last resort to those who find the burdens of modern day
living too much to cope with. However it soon becomes apparent that Laura is
more than happy to counsel and indeed support those who wish to end their lives,
indeed she is a woman of inner conflict possessing more issues than those she
wishes to help.
The
opening is dynamic; a young couple hand in hand, mobile phones held tightly to
ears, jump to their deaths from a well known beauty spot. At the "end of
the line" the last person they speak to is Laura who appears to have
actively encouraged this double suicide to happen. I am disclosing very little
if I tell you that one of the jumpers, Charlotte, is married to Ryan and he is
determined to find the truth. Why would his beautiful and pregnant wife commit
such an act when she had so much to live for. Thus starts a cat and mouse game
between Ryan and Laura told in snappy short chapters in the first person. There
is no doubt about that this is a very effective piece of storytelling
especially as the author peels away the layers and presenting a somewhat
troubled Laura. There are many surprises and unexpected moments and yet I could
not help feel somewhat drained to the many (and I mean many) twists and turns
before the final revelations. Having said that it is a good read and I will
certainly search out more from this author...that is when I have sufficiently recovered
from this present roller coaster ride!
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