Tragedy Born of Broken Bonds and Unquestioning Love

What I Did Not Say is a story of a complex web of interpersonal relationships and the tragedy that can arise when even one of these bonds is destroyed.

The book is written in three parts. The first is nearly two-thirds of the total and establishes the primary characters and the relationships among them: Jessica (Jess) and Jack, 11 and 12 at the outset; Vera and Terry, Jack’s mother (or mum to be true to the book) and her long-standing friend; and Jack and Vera, mother and son. These individuals and their relationships are admirably described. Of the group, they all felt real, with the possible exception of Jack, who ended up seeming as highly steadfast as he was completely irrational. Overall, Part 1 seemed unnecessarily detailed and somewhat slow, with most of the suspense stemming from misunderstandings or characters deciding to be less than forthcoming, sometimes with little apparent reason.

Part 2 was the trial, where the pace and tension were excellent. The pages seemed to turn themselves. Each of the barristers argued their side of the case eloquently, leaving me guessing as to the eventual outcome.

Part 3 is the delivery of a package some 15 years later. By this part, the overall outcome is known, although questions of motivation remain. And this is where the conceptualization I had developed of Jack in Part 1 ran afoul. I was not quite able to reconcile the way he was portrayed at the beginning with what is implied at the end. But then, perhaps I am reading these implications incorrectly.

The author is an excellent writer, as the prose is descriptive and evocative. At first, having each chapter told as first person from a new character’s perspective seemed strained, but as the chapter title is the name of the speaker, it became more comfortable over time. There is also an occasional abrupt shift in timeframe within a chapter, as a flashback or forward is interspersed without warning. These were somewhat disruptive of the overall story flow for me.

Overall, if you stories of complex emotional relationships and tragedy that can arise when these fragile bonds are broken, What I Did Not Say should meet your interests nicely.

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.3 s Jill's Book Cafe321 141

I finished this book over a week ago but have been deliberating about what to say in my review, and I hasten to add that does not reflect a negative response. My problem has been in knowing what to say, without detracting from the experience for anyone else coming to this book. When I chose to read it, I knew very little other than it had been well received by other bloggers. As I won't read before I read a book I'm reviewing I had no clues other than the blurb which really gives nothing away. Even the cover was non committal. I'm assuming this was the intention of the author, and it was certainly effective and for me it was a pleasant change to pick up a book without any preconceptions about the content. Given the subject of the book, that was also a clever move as it deals to a large extent with how we perceive others and the judgement's we make.

So what to say? Well it's split into three parts. The first part sets the background and details the relationships between Jack and Jess, Vera and Terry. This was very well done and the childhood friendship between Jack and Jess was very well expressed. Vera is Jack's mum and Terry is her old friend. How they all relate to each other is for you to discover. What was clever was the way ambiguous comments or phrases were dropped into the narrative which led to assumptions (false or otherwise) being made about the characters. This very much led to what happened in Part Two, an event which was completely unexpected. Part Three is essentially the present day and is described in the blurb. I'm not comfortable saying anymore without divulging anything about the plot.

I enjoyed this book. I thought the characters (though perhaps at times unreliable) were very well portrayed and believable. The story itself was also very plausible though perhaps a bit unbalanced in that for me Part Three was quite short and still left some doubts in my mind as to the truth of what had happened. That said, that ambiguity was in keeping with the overall undercurrent flowing through the book. Essentially though this is a story about friendship, love, acceptance and the suffering of those who don't conform. It's a fairly short read, but none the less powerful for that and I'm happy to recommend it.

I received an ecopy from the author for the purposes of this review



authors-personal- thriller2 s Babus Ahmed792 67

Jack Banford has been friends with Jess since he was six and she was five. They go to the same school and are bestfriends. Jack lives with his ailing mother who is terminally ill and is devoted to her. At eleven he is coping better than most his age and many older than him. As they get older his mother's health worsens but Jess develops feeling for Jack. Then comes a day where everything changes. Years later Jess puts the past into perspective and sets out to make amends, to say what she did not say years ago.

I was blown away by this novel about two young people warring with their feelings as they try to form some semblance of understanding of the world around them. The story is told with such unique perspective that you can do nothing but marvel at way it is told. The story is told in three parts, the first mostly from Jess' point of view as well as Melissa, a social worker, Mark, Jack's father and Terry. Part two is courtroom proceedings and part three is present day Jess.

A well told story that haunts you long after you've read the last page.2 s Wendy JanesAuthor 9 books16

This intelligent and moving story opens with Jessica travelling to deliver a package to a man she hasn’t seen for fifteen years. During the journey her mind drifts back to her childhood friend, Jack. Can she make amends for mistakes made many years ago?

As soon as you meet pre-teen Jessica and Jack and learn about their tender relationship, your heart goes out to Jack, who is sole carer for his mother, Vera. The details of childhood friendship are set against the bleak backdrop of Vera’s illness, and the love between mother and son is beautifully drawn.

The story becomes more complex with the introduction of Melissa, a well-meaning social worker, and Terry, an old friend of Vera’s, who befriends Jack. This is where the telling of the story from multiple points of view really comes into its own, as the reader is thrust right into the middle of an unfolding drama, trying to piece the truth together while not being quite sure who to believe. There’s a tension that builds as you’re trying to work out what really happened all those years ago.

The structure of the novel doesn’t quite work for me, but what does work very well is the way in which the past influences people’s lives down the years in both subtle and dramatic fashion. Although I prefer the subtleties, the more dramatic elements never feel exploitative or ‘drama for the sake of drama’. Instead, everything develops naturally from the characters so that both the tragedies and the glimpses of hope feel authentic and make reading this story an absorbing and emotional experience.


1 Terry TylerAuthor 30 books583

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

This mysterious domestic drama had a most interesting and unusual plot; I couldn't work out where it was going at all, which kept me turning the pages.

The story is told from multiple first person points of view, the main one (to my mind) being Jessica, who is aged between eleven and thirteen for most of the story. She's an overweight, shy girl who doesn't get on that well with her parents, but has an unusually close bond with her best friend, Jack Banford. Jack is a troubled young boy with divorced parents, and his mother is dying.

I thought the way Jess was written was a clever piece of character illustration; I believed in her completely. All her fears and insecurities leapt from the page. Jack was so well drawn, too, that I could completely understand her obsessive feelings for him. I loved their relationship, the secret world they'd forged together.

The story is divided into three parts, the first and longest of which is a building up of the background. Here, I felt that some were superfluous, that the story would have been structured better as longer sections from less viewpoints; it kept diving off at tangents. The characters themselves were clearly defined, I just thought there were too many voices, too much chopping and changing.

Part two starts with a HUGE surprise - well done, Ms Spicer, that one certainly made me go 'whaaat?!'. There follows a court case, which was well done, and kept me completely absorbed. I couldn't guess the outcome of this, which pleased me. As for the ending, I felt a little confused; things were implied, suggested, rather than facts being given, and I am still not absolutely sure I quite 'got' it. I am willing to accept that this might just be me, though!

To sum up - I'd recommend this if you complex dramas with undercurrents, secrets and hidden depths, and the author deserves a round of applause for the relationship between Jack and Jess.
1 KarenneAuthor 15 books

'What I Did Not Say' is unputdownable. The plot has plenty of amazing twists and turns as the story is told from the viewpoint of several characters. You will take these people to your heart. My particular favourite is Jack, a rough diamond who shines as he grows. Early on we learn he is no longer around, and I simply had to continue reading to find out more. Definitely up there with Spicer's finest work.1 Hannah198 6

I d that this book was written from the different perspectives of all the characters because it felt more intimate and we got to know them better than we would have just seeing them through another’s eyes. This book did not have a happy ending, but life often does not have a happy ending and this one felt real. I wouldn’t have d it if the author had tried to neatly tie it all up with a bow. Mary Ouellette20 1 follower

Captivating

Spicer's way with words is a woven art piece, taking you in and absorbing you into her story. This was the first book I've read by this author and I'm looking forward to next story! Jude131 1 follower

Loved this book. I cared about all the characters Cathy Ryan1,215 77

4.5*
Divided into three parts, What I Did Not Say is a complex, dramatic story of emotional turmoil and friendships told from the perspectives of several characters, so each interpretation and understanding of events differs according to personal viewpoints. Part one is the longest section beginning with Jess looking back on her close friendship with Jack Banford and giving an indication of some serious happening in the past.

Each chapter, told from the point of view of a specific individual sets up the connections between the characters. Pre teens Jess and Jack have been best friends since starting school and spend most of their leisure time together, although they don’t share innermost thoughts and feelings. Jess is overweight and insecure in herself, Jack, loving his mother, Vera, coping as well as he can with her illness and the fluctuating hope and foreboding. Melissa, the social worker whose attention was brought to the situation by an anonymous call from a neighbour. And Terry Pickup, an old and dear friend of Vera’s recently come back into her life, who also befriended Jack.

I couldn’t imagine where the story was going at first but I was soon engrossed, wanting to know what was going to happen. The personalities are described extremely well, giving a good sense of, and realistic feel to, the characters – Jess and Jack especially. Jack is intriguing and compelling, I could see why Jess felt the way she did.

The first section allows the players, their stories and the dynamics between them to unfold. The second part was totally unexpected, a complete surprise and filled with tension. I wasn’t sure who to believe but leaned towards Jess. The conclusion takes place years later from Jess’ point of view. She needs to make amends and continue her life without the past hanging over her.

Expressive and moving writing shows the devastating consequences of things not said and unquestioning loyalty. And how easily bonds can be damaged and broken when there’s a lack of communication and tolerance, the effect that can have on people’s lives.

I chose to read and review What I Did Not Say based on a copy of the book supplied by the author/publisher.drama Dermot DavisAuthor 13 books49

Sometimes what is not being said has more power and consequences than having it being spoken. A well told story from multiple points of view for the first section (of 3) of the book I had no idea where the tale was taking me. All the characters were intelligent and had interesting things to say and share. I found Jesse to be the most reliable and identified with her as the main character. Told from different time periods we slowly form a view of an incident in the past which affected all their lives in different ways. Because of a lack of information and communication, what doesn't get said becomes a problem, especially for one individual who in section 2 of the book has to face a trial for serious offenses that could greatly affect his life. I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat at this point and hoping that necessary information will come to light to exonerate who I believed to be an innocent person. All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable read, very well written and having surprising elements of suspense that kept me turning the pages.1 Theweakestlynn7

What can I not say!

Part one took us on a pleasant journey around the early life of Jack, his terminally ill mother, and the people who are close to him. Jack's story is told from several points of view and we find out why his friends love him.

Then came part two and this book became impossible to put down and almost impossible to read through the tears at times.

Thoroughly recommend this well written and thought provoking book to anyone who s a good story, regardless of genre. Joannes RhinoAuthor 10 books49

This book requires total concentration! I actually got lost so many times and had to read some chapters all over again. The story is written from first person angle of multiple characters, which this brought up very mixed emotions to me. This is very difficult for some readers to follow but at the same time very smart. This is a book that will stay in your head and raise many questions about the complexity of relationships. As for me, I love this kind of story. I wish to watch this book into a movie screen.2 s amanda spicer5

Best read

Fantastic great read best yet really gutted when the trial started but fantastic ending well done bev forgot my sister wrote it as I was reading then realised how wonderful you are xxxx Leah Moyse133 63

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