Title: The Cry
Author: Helen FitzGerald
Published: 10th September 2018 (originally published September 2013)
Publisher: Faber – Allen & Unwin
Pages: 320
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Psychological
RRP: $19.99
Rating: 4 stars
Coming to ABC TV, the 4-part BBC TV drama, The Cry by Helen FitzGerald brings a parent’s worst nightmare to vivid life.
When a baby goes missing on a lonely roadside in Australia, it sets off a police investigation that will become a media sensation and dinner-table talk across the world.
Lies, rumours and guilt snowball, causing the parents, Joanna and Alistair, to slowly turn against each other.
Finally Joanna starts thinking the unthinkable: could the truth be even more terrible than she suspected? And what will it take to make things right?
Perfect for fans of Julia Crouch, Sophie Hannah and Laura Lippman, The Cry was widely acclaimed as one of the best psychological thrillers of the year. There’s a gripping moral dilemma at its heart and characters who will keep you guessing on every page.
Review:
Meet Joanna, Alistair and their baby boy Noah. When The Cry begins, the family embark on a long haul flight from Glasgow to Melbourne, Australia. However, this nightmare flight takes a turn for the worst when the family finally lands in Melbourne. Baby Noah goes missing. This is a divisive case that seems to baffle the police involved and it seems to draw out plenty of opinion from the public, as well as the media. The pressure is immense on the stressed parents, Joanna and Alistair, but happened to baby Noah?
I must admit the cover enticed me to select this book from my heavy review pile. To accompany the BBC television series based on The Cry, Faber an imprint of Allen and Unwin have republished this 2013 release. The cover features images of the cast of the small screen version of The Cry. Jenna Coleman, the British actress of Victoria fame, is situated at the centre of the front cover and she is a favourite actress of mine. I have been closely scrutinizing the ABC television guide here in Australia, as I am very interested in seeing how this BBC produced drama will hold up next to a book I completely devoured.
I simply sprinted through The Cry. Helen FitzGerald is a skilled storyteller and I loved my first experience of her writing. She places emphasis on the domestic forum and she leans towards psychological suspense. The chapters are short and concise, but they contain a hook so I found it virtually impossible to put this book down. The Cry will consume you and have you pondering the scenarios it presents. FitzGerald is deliberate in her approach to balance tension and high emotion with the raw facts of the situation. Expect your heart to be torn apart by the close of the novel, The Cry is this kind of book.
I immediately set up camp in Joanna’s field when I started to read The Cry. The stressful and harrowing plane scene had me reeling in despair. I just wanted to slap Alistair for his ignorance and the flight staff for their distinct lack of concern! With my loyalties set firmly on Joanna’s version of events, when the book flipped to include Alexandra, the ex –wife’s take on the events, l still felt empathy for Joanna. Alexandra’s perspective is like a hidden extra, adding an essential bonus sheet onto the proceedings. Likewise, the presence of Alistair’s mother and his daughter provides further substance to this complex tale. Finally, the law enforcement and extra support systems involved in Noah’s case are sculpted precisely by FitzGerald.
The themes covered in The Cry are fairly distressing, from anxiety, depression, blame, guilt, confusion, loss, sadness and justice. The cross in setting from Glasgow to Melbourne was presented well by Helen FitzGerald. There is further foreshadowing involved, when a bushfire threatens to take hold, adding to the heightened tension – filled atmosphere. FitzGerald is a clearly the queen of manipulation, she sets us up for a situation that we try to unpack with as much logic as we can, but she turns the axis so we feel disorientated. I admit to having absolutely no idea of where the ending was going to settle, but the closure FitzGerald presented was fitting.
This book and the accompanying series has had twitter in uproar. I think The Cry is a novel that will appeal to readers of any genre, it is that style of book. It will send you in a spin! The lasting reminder The Cry left me with was my new interest in Helen FitzGerald, I am really keen to explore more of her work.
The Cry by Helen FitzGerald was published on 10th September 2018 by Faber – Allen & Unwin. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of The Cry, Helen FitzGerald, visit here.
*Thanks extended to Allen & Unwin for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Cry is book #140 of the Australian Women Writers Challenge
