What do you think?
Rate this book
True Story (Totem)
Après une soirée arrosée, Richard et Max raccompagnent Alice chez elle, inconsciente.
Les deux adolescents racontent alors une histoire qui enflamme rapidement le lycée. Que s'est-il réellement passé sur la banquette arrière de leur voiture ? Alice a-t-elle été abusée ? Elle ne se souvient de rien.
Richard et Max, acculés, disent avoir tout inventé. Il est trop tard : la rumeur emporte tout sur son passage.
Construit comme un puzzle dont l'image ne devient claire qu'à la dernière page, True Story est un roman addictif et un révélateur subtil de notre époque.
Les deux adolescents racontent alors une histoire qui enflamme rapidement le lycée. Que s'est-il réellement passé sur la banquette arrière de leur voiture ? Alice a-t-elle été abusée ? Elle ne se souvient de rien.
Richard et Max, acculés, disent avoir tout inventé. Il est trop tard : la rumeur emporte tout sur son passage.
Construit comme un puzzle dont l'image ne devient claire qu'à la dernière page, True Story est un roman addictif et un révélateur subtil de notre époque.
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2023
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 25, 2025
Alors en lisant la 4eme de couverture j'étais partie sur un déroulement de plusieurs points de vue, une sorte d'histoire commune vu par les différents personnages
Un livre "construit comme un piège machiavélique " qu'ils disaient sur la couverture...Booooon... Je cherche toujours le " piège machiavélique "...
C'est un livre divisé en 5 parties.
Toutes basée sur la 1ere partie, la rumeur du viol d'Alice Lovett.
Rumeur ou vérité je vous laisserais répondre en le lisant.
Ce livre m'a laissé perplexe, mitigée quant à l'appréciation ou la non appréciation de celui-ci...
La 1ère partie: Cool, j'ai suivi l'histoire tranquille
La partie 2 : Bon là déjà je savais plus où j'étais, c'est bien mais je me suis demandé si j'étais dans le même livre (j'ai cherché le rapport)
La partie 3: C'est une lettre d'entrée à l'université (j'ai cherché le rapport)
La 4ème partie: Ce sont des envois de mail (j'ai encore cherché le rapport)
La 5ème partie : C'est un le regroupement de tout ce Gloubi-boulga ( ouf j'ai enfin trouvé le rapport!)Et l'épilogue, bin c'est l'épilogue!
Je dirais que c'est un livre fort intéressant, un peu complexe à suivre, le changement de date, de personnage, de format d'écriture m'a sacrément ballotté et m'a perdu dans la réflexion du livre, c'est peut-être ça le piège machiavélique...
L'issue de l'histoire (parce que OUI je me suis accrochée ) vaut le coup, heureusement d'ailleurs, j'ai fini le livre déboussolé mais satisfaite parce que j'ai pu relier toutes les parties et j'ai claqué des doigts en disant " ah mais ouiiii"
Ce livre est plutôt sympa si vous n'avez aucune attente derrière. Il mérite le coup d'œil parce qu'il est tout de même intéressant dans sa construction.
True Story où comment faire 5 livres en 1
Un livre "construit comme un piège machiavélique " qu'ils disaient sur la couverture...Booooon... Je cherche toujours le " piège machiavélique "...
C'est un livre divisé en 5 parties.
Toutes basée sur la 1ere partie, la rumeur du viol d'Alice Lovett.
Rumeur ou vérité je vous laisserais répondre en le lisant.
Ce livre m'a laissé perplexe, mitigée quant à l'appréciation ou la non appréciation de celui-ci...
La 1ère partie: Cool, j'ai suivi l'histoire tranquille
La partie 2 : Bon là déjà je savais plus où j'étais, c'est bien mais je me suis demandé si j'étais dans le même livre (j'ai cherché le rapport)
La partie 3: C'est une lettre d'entrée à l'université (j'ai cherché le rapport)
La 4ème partie: Ce sont des envois de mail (j'ai encore cherché le rapport)
La 5ème partie : C'est un le regroupement de tout ce Gloubi-boulga ( ouf j'ai enfin trouvé le rapport!)Et l'épilogue, bin c'est l'épilogue!
Je dirais que c'est un livre fort intéressant, un peu complexe à suivre, le changement de date, de personnage, de format d'écriture m'a sacrément ballotté et m'a perdu dans la réflexion du livre, c'est peut-être ça le piège machiavélique...
L'issue de l'histoire (parce que OUI je me suis accrochée ) vaut le coup, heureusement d'ailleurs, j'ai fini le livre déboussolé mais satisfaite parce que j'ai pu relier toutes les parties et j'ai claqué des doigts en disant " ah mais ouiiii"
Ce livre est plutôt sympa si vous n'avez aucune attente derrière. Il mérite le coup d'œil parce qu'il est tout de même intéressant dans sa construction.
True Story où comment faire 5 livres en 1
December 11, 2025
True Story is an exhilarating and insightful psychological drama that challenges the reader to rethink everything they believe about truth, memory, and the stories we tell to survive. Kate Reed Petty delivers a narrative that is as thrilling as it is thought-provoking, beginning with a single moment after a party and unfolding into an intricate exploration of trauma, perception, and social pressure.
What stands out most is Petty’s incredible narrative technique. She takes the reader through multiple viewpoints and storytelling styles, each adding layers of meaning while simultaneously destabilizing the “facts” of the incident. The effect is mesmerizing you’re constantly questioning: What really happened? Who is telling the truth? Does the truth even matter once a rumor takes hold?
Alice’s character is beautifully rendered. Her amnesia does not make her passive instead, it becomes a powerful entry point into the emotional and psychological cost of losing control of one’s own narrative. Petty captures her internal struggle with empathy and nuance, showing how silence, confusion, and shame intersect in ways society rarely acknowledges.
The novel also shines a bright light on the culture of gossip and the collective eagerness to sensationalize tragedy, especially within schools and tight-knit communities. It exposes how quickly a lie can gain momentum and how hard it can be to contain once unleashed.
True Story is gripping from start to finish intense, original, and beautifully unsettling. It’s the kind of book that makes you pause, reflect, and reconsider how easily truth can be distorted.
What stands out most is Petty’s incredible narrative technique. She takes the reader through multiple viewpoints and storytelling styles, each adding layers of meaning while simultaneously destabilizing the “facts” of the incident. The effect is mesmerizing you’re constantly questioning: What really happened? Who is telling the truth? Does the truth even matter once a rumor takes hold?
Alice’s character is beautifully rendered. Her amnesia does not make her passive instead, it becomes a powerful entry point into the emotional and psychological cost of losing control of one’s own narrative. Petty captures her internal struggle with empathy and nuance, showing how silence, confusion, and shame intersect in ways society rarely acknowledges.
The novel also shines a bright light on the culture of gossip and the collective eagerness to sensationalize tragedy, especially within schools and tight-knit communities. It exposes how quickly a lie can gain momentum and how hard it can be to contain once unleashed.
True Story is gripping from start to finish intense, original, and beautifully unsettling. It’s the kind of book that makes you pause, reflect, and reconsider how easily truth can be distorted.
December 11, 2025
Kate Reed Petty’s True Story is a gripping, emotionally intelligent novel that masterfully captures the devastating effects of rumor, denial, and misplaced guilt. From its first pages, the book establishes an atmosphere of tension and ambiguity, inviting readers into a story that is as layered as it is compelling. What begins as a seemingly familiar tale an unconscious girl, two boys, a whispered accusation rapidly evolves into a profound meditation on memory, accountability, and the complexities of navigating adolescence.
What makes this novel exceptional is its unique structure. Petty constructs the narrative like a mosaic, each chapter revealing a fragment of truth while concealing another. This gradual assembly of perspectives creates a powerful sense of suspense, but it also deepens the emotional stakes. The reader isn’t just uncovering “what happened”; they’re uncovering how people cope with the consequences of what they believe happened.
Alice’s journey is particularly moving. Caught inside a story she doesn’t remember, she becomes a poignant symbol of how easily a young person’s identity can be shaped or shattered by other people’s assumptions. Petty handles her story with care, balancing vulnerability with resilience.
But the novel’s strength goes beyond character. It is a sharply observed reflection of our era, where rumors spread fast, narratives are weaponized, and the line between truth and invention grows increasingly thin.
True Story is a beautifully crafted, unsettling, and unforgettable read one that challenges the reader even as it keeps them turning the pages. It is a remarkable achievement.
What makes this novel exceptional is its unique structure. Petty constructs the narrative like a mosaic, each chapter revealing a fragment of truth while concealing another. This gradual assembly of perspectives creates a powerful sense of suspense, but it also deepens the emotional stakes. The reader isn’t just uncovering “what happened”; they’re uncovering how people cope with the consequences of what they believe happened.
Alice’s journey is particularly moving. Caught inside a story she doesn’t remember, she becomes a poignant symbol of how easily a young person’s identity can be shaped or shattered by other people’s assumptions. Petty handles her story with care, balancing vulnerability with resilience.
But the novel’s strength goes beyond character. It is a sharply observed reflection of our era, where rumors spread fast, narratives are weaponized, and the line between truth and invention grows increasingly thin.
True Story is a beautifully crafted, unsettling, and unforgettable read one that challenges the reader even as it keeps them turning the pages. It is a remarkable achievement.
December 11, 2025
True Story is an unforgettable, haunting, and brilliantly constructed novel that explores the dangerous power of rumors and the fragile nature of truth. From the opening pages, Kate Reed Petty plunges readers into a situation that is both intimate and devastating: an incident after a drunken party, a girl who remembers nothing, and two boys whose story rapidly spirals into something far bigger and darker than any of them anticipated. What makes this book remarkable is how deeply it examines the emotional aftermath not just the event itself, but the echo of it through a community eager to assign blame, take sides, and craft its own version of reality.
Petty’s narrative structure is breathtaking. She builds the novel like a puzzle, handing the reader piece after piece memories, lies, silences, excuses until the final pages snap everything into place with stunning clarity. It is a masterclass in storytelling restraint and payoff.
What resonates most is how the novel captures the confusion, pain, and vulnerability of adolescence. Alice’s struggle is not merely about what happened that night it’s about how a narrative built by others can swallow a life whole. Petty handles this with sensitivity, sharpness, and emotional intelligence.
This book is not only gripping; it is socially urgent. It exposes how quickly a rumor can destroy reputations, reshape identities, and leave long-lasting scars. True Story is bold, relevant, and deeply human a novel that lingers long after its final reveal.
Petty’s narrative structure is breathtaking. She builds the novel like a puzzle, handing the reader piece after piece memories, lies, silences, excuses until the final pages snap everything into place with stunning clarity. It is a masterclass in storytelling restraint and payoff.
What resonates most is how the novel captures the confusion, pain, and vulnerability of adolescence. Alice’s struggle is not merely about what happened that night it’s about how a narrative built by others can swallow a life whole. Petty handles this with sensitivity, sharpness, and emotional intelligence.
This book is not only gripping; it is socially urgent. It exposes how quickly a rumor can destroy reputations, reshape identities, and leave long-lasting scars. True Story is bold, relevant, and deeply human a novel that lingers long after its final reveal.
December 11, 2025
True Story" by Kate Reed Petty is a compelling and deeply thought-provoking novel that brilliantly captures the fragile nature of truth, memory, and perception. From the very first page, the story immerses the reader in a tense, emotionally charged scenario: after a night of drinking, Richard and Max escort Alice home, unconscious, and what happens next quickly spirals into rumor and speculation. The way the narrative examines how a single story can ignite a chain reaction within a school is both unsettling and fascinating, reflecting the power of words and the fragility of reputation in our society.
Petty’s skillful storytelling keeps readers on edge, questioning what really happened and what is merely imagined. The novel’s puzzle-like structure, where pieces of the truth are revealed gradually, ensures that every chapter feels essential and every detail counts. The characters are complex and believable, and their conflicting perspectives make the story feel startlingly real. The translator, Jacques Mailhos, has done an excellent job of preserving the tension and clarity of the original work, allowing the suspense and emotional depth to shine through.
Ultimately, "True Story" is more than just a suspenseful tale it is a subtle reflection on the impact of rumors, the difficulty of discerning reality, and the ways we construct narratives around what we cannot fully remember or understand. It’s an addictive, thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page, and it is a perfect reflection of the complexities of modern adolescence.
Petty’s skillful storytelling keeps readers on edge, questioning what really happened and what is merely imagined. The novel’s puzzle-like structure, where pieces of the truth are revealed gradually, ensures that every chapter feels essential and every detail counts. The characters are complex and believable, and their conflicting perspectives make the story feel startlingly real. The translator, Jacques Mailhos, has done an excellent job of preserving the tension and clarity of the original work, allowing the suspense and emotional depth to shine through.
Ultimately, "True Story" is more than just a suspenseful tale it is a subtle reflection on the impact of rumors, the difficulty of discerning reality, and the ways we construct narratives around what we cannot fully remember or understand. It’s an addictive, thought-provoking read that lingers long after the final page, and it is a perfect reflection of the complexities of modern adolescence.
October 4, 2025
Pendant la 1e partie du roman, je me suis demandé où allait l'histoire. Je trouvais ça un peu long. Finalement, l'épilogue est génial.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews