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August 15, 2022
Picoult (Wish You Were Here) joins forces with novelist and transgender activist Boylan (Long Black Veil) for a spellbinding yarn involving a teen’s trial for murder. Beekeeper Olivia McAfee fled her abusive husband in Boston for New Hampshire with her six-year-old son, Asher. Twelve years later, Asher is charged with murdering his high school girlfriend, Lily, a newcomer to town. The story unfolds from Olivia and Lily’s viewpoints (Lily’s before the murder), and centers on the budding relationship between Asher and Lily and the subsequent court case against Asher, who is represented by Olivia’s older brother, Jordan, a high-profile defense attorney who has appeared in previous Picoult novels. Both teens have troubled relationships with their fathers, and the authors painstakingly explore the impact of physically and emotionally abusive men on their families. After a big reveal in the second half, the canvas stretches to include a primer on transgender issues, and the shift is mostly seamless though sometimes didactic. More successful is the atmospheric texture provided with depictions of Olivia harvesting honey and the art of beekeeping, and the riveting trial drama. Overall, it’s a fruitful collaboration.
June 10, 2024
Picoult's (Wish You Were Here) latest, cowritten with essayist and fiction writer Boylan, is a heart-wrenching tale of a teen accused of murdering his girlfriend. The story is told from the point of view of Olivia and Lily and jumps back and forth in time. Olivia is the mother of Asher, a high school senior and captain of the hockey team who falls in love with Lily. When Lily is found dead, the evidence points to Asher as the murderer. It is revealed that Olivia divorced Asher's father many years ago because he was violent, and she starts to fear that Asher may have inherited more of his father's character than she wants to admit. As the story unfolds, listeners discover that Lily had many secrets of her own. Narrator Carrie Coon gives voice to Olivia and does a fine job with making her believable and convincing, while Key Taw provides a sympathetic portrait of Lily. Both narrators effectively flesh out the characters as they describe their backstories. VERDICT This gripping story has elements of great courtroom drama and incorporates social issues that have lately been at the forefront of public discussion. Expect high patron demand.--Susan Cox
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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