Frozen

by Richard Burke

When his childhood friend, Verity, is found at the foot of Beachy Head, barely alive, Harry's life is thrown into turmoil. He can't accept that the happy-go-lucky girl he grew up with would try to kill herself. He should know. He was closer to her than anyone, wasn't he? As Verity lies in a coma, damaged beyond repair, Harry is haunted by memories of their childhood and by the knowledge that what they once shared is lost for ever. With the help of his friend Adam and Verity's business partner Sam, Harry begins piecing together the last few weeks of Verity's life. Sam is as baffled as Harry, but Adam thinks Verity's suicide attempt was the inevitable consequence of a life which was clearly spiralling out of control. The deeper Harry gets, the more questions remain unanswered. Why was Verity's flat burgled? Why was she secretly seeing a psychiatrist? And, for Harry, the most haunting question of why did Verity kiss him, all those years ago, and then banish him from her life? If Harry can't find the answers, he may have to face the fact that perhaps he never really knew Verity at all...

Genres: Fiction

Hardcover

First published December 15, 2004

Reviews

[Hazel McHaffie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be my kind of book: a girl in a persistent vegetative state, a mystery about her fall from the cliffs near Beachy Head, children from damaged backgrounds ... But it wasn't. Sorry. Much ado about nothing.

[S · Rating 1 out of 5]

Something great could have come out of this semi-interesting premise, but instead the book is bogged down with unrealistic characters, plot holes, inconsistencies, and unnecessary scenes. The main character (and the sole POV) is frustratingly obtuse and ridiculously written (leaving a woman in the middle of a psychotic break because his girlfriend has promised him sex? Give me a break). By the last 30 pages it was almost as if the author himself had given up on the story.

[Martinxo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Picked this up as it was lying around the house and I need something to read. Gave up after 30 pages. The writing felt mediocre, I really didn't care about these people...or the book.