I’m delighted to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for the fantastically dark and suspenseful Him by Clare Empson. Thank you so much to Tracy Fenton and Orion Books for inviting me to be a part of this tour and for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
About the book:
It all started with … HIM.
Catherine has become mute. She has witnessed something so disturbing that she simply can’t speak – not to her husband, her children, or her friends. The doctors say the only way forward is to look into her past.
Catherine needs to start with Him. Lucian.
Catherine met the love of her life at university and was drawn into his elite circle of privileged, hedonistic friends. But one night it all falls apart and she leaves him, shattering his life forever.
Still, fifteen years later, Lucian haunts every one of Catherine’s quiet moments, and when they are unexpectedly reunited, their love reignites with explosive force. But they can’t move on from what happened all those years ago. In fact, uncovering the truth will cause their lives to implode once again.
This time, with disastrous consequences.
About the author:
Clare is a journalist with a background in national newspapers – small business editor, finance correspondent and fashion at the Mail on Sunday and the Daily Express, freelance for The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Times, the Evening Standard and Tatler amongst others. She currently works as editor/founder of experiential lifestyle website http://www.countrycalling.co.uk.
My Review:
I don’t know quite what I expected when I started Him by Clare Empson, but it definitely wasn’t the dark, heartbreaking story it turned out to be. A gripping tale of love, secrets and betrayal, I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the shocking and devastating direction this book would eventually take us in.
Catherine and Lucian are made for each other. They appear to have the perfect relationship, enjoying university life alongside Lucian’s elite circle of friends. But then something happens that changes everything, something so awful that Catherine leaves Lucian and marries someone else.
Fifteen years later fate throws them back together again, this time with devastating consequences. Catherine witnesses something so traumatic she can no longer speak. Her doctors say she has elective mutism and the only way out of it is to look into her past. But will uncovering the truth help? Or will going back to the beginning only make things worse?
What follows is a dark and gripping tale that is told from the points of view of both Lucian and Catherine. The truth of what happened is slowly revealed as we keep moving back and forth between fifteen years ago, four months before and now.
I had no idea what the disturbing event Catherine witnessed was going to be, and when the truth was finally revealed it took me completely by surprise. A horrifying sting to the tale that was as shocking as it was disturbing.
I would never have guessed that this is a debut novel. The writing is superb and Clare Empson has woven a complex and moving story that ultimately broke my heart. Him is the kind of book that gets under your skin, with memorable characters that you find yourself thinking about long after the final page has been turned.
A gripping and emotional read that I highly recommend.
I can’t wait to read whatever Claire Empson comes up with next. If this book is anything to go by, it’s going to be amazing!
Him by Clare Empson is available to buy now: Amazon UK
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Cal Turner Reviews 