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The Truth About Her
How can you write other people's stories, when you won't admit the truth of your own? An absorbing, moving, ruefully tender, witty and wise novel of marriage, motherhood and the paths we navigate through both, for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler.
Journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton gets a phone call one summer morning, and finds out that the subject of one of her investigative exposes, 25-year-old wellness blogger Tracey Doran, has killed herself overnight. Suzy is horrified by this news but copes in the only way she knows how - through work, mothering, and carrying on with her ill-advised, tandem affairs.
The consequences of her actions catch up with Suzy over the course of a sticky Sydney summer. She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and is pursued by Tracey's mother wanting her, as a kind of rough justice, to tell Tracey's story, but this time, the right way.
A tender, absorbing, intelligent and moving exploration of guilt, shame, female anger, and, in particular, mothering, with all its trouble and treasure, The Truth About Her is mostly though a story about the nature of stories - who owns them, who gets to tell them, and why we need them. An entirely striking, stylish and contemporary novel, from a talented new writer.
Journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton gets a phone call one summer morning, and finds out that the subject of one of her investigative exposes, 25-year-old wellness blogger Tracey Doran, has killed herself overnight. Suzy is horrified by this news but copes in the only way she knows how - through work, mothering, and carrying on with her ill-advised, tandem affairs.
The consequences of her actions catch up with Suzy over the course of a sticky Sydney summer. She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and is pursued by Tracey's mother wanting her, as a kind of rough justice, to tell Tracey's story, but this time, the right way.
A tender, absorbing, intelligent and moving exploration of guilt, shame, female anger, and, in particular, mothering, with all its trouble and treasure, The Truth About Her is mostly though a story about the nature of stories - who owns them, who gets to tell them, and why we need them. An entirely striking, stylish and contemporary novel, from a talented new writer.
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 7, 2021
171 people are currently reading
2439 people want to read
About the author
Jacqueline Maley
3 books85 followersJacqueline Maley is a columnist and senior writer for the Sydney Morning Herald and Age newspapers, where she writes about politics, people and social affairs. She has also worked on staff at The Guardian in London and at The Australian Financial Review, as well as contributing to numerous other publications including Gourmet Traveller and Marie Claire. In 2016 she won the Kennedy Award for Outstanding Columnist. She lives in Sydney with her daughter and partner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 270 reviews
March 8, 2022
I have fallen behind on my reviews, and history has always told me my book memory isn't great and it is always best to review straight away. I power through audio books so I will need to be more mindful in the future! I have read or listened to 12 books since this, and it was six weeks ago!
What I really enjoy is reading fiction by journalists because I know they know their stuff. This was also based on a journalists unusual chain of events where a purported 'wellness' influencer is less than truthful and there are dire consequences stemming from her reporting, which was thorough, and factual in as far as her quality reporting and research showed.
Suzy our complex and flawed, but to me, very likable journalist soldiers on in the face of the scrutiny that was bound to happen after this tragic death.
We see how messy Suzy is, but she has a fierce love for her daughter and she has the strength and tenacity that we so often see in fiction lately of a single mother. Her love life is messy, but I like her and her get up and go way of being.
From one mother to another as the story of this troubled influencer comes to light via her own mother, and an unlikely relationship that develops between the two, this was an original and well written story. I always like when a debut comes across as a quality piece of writing, and so much better than mediocre reads I come across from more established authors.
What I really enjoy is reading fiction by journalists because I know they know their stuff. This was also based on a journalists unusual chain of events where a purported 'wellness' influencer is less than truthful and there are dire consequences stemming from her reporting, which was thorough, and factual in as far as her quality reporting and research showed.
Suzy our complex and flawed, but to me, very likable journalist soldiers on in the face of the scrutiny that was bound to happen after this tragic death.
We see how messy Suzy is, but she has a fierce love for her daughter and she has the strength and tenacity that we so often see in fiction lately of a single mother. Her love life is messy, but I like her and her get up and go way of being.
From one mother to another as the story of this troubled influencer comes to light via her own mother, and an unlikely relationship that develops between the two, this was an original and well written story. I always like when a debut comes across as a quality piece of writing, and so much better than mediocre reads I come across from more established authors.
April 15, 2021
The narrator of this book, Suze Hamilton is a journalist. A piece she wrote that exposed a popular “wellness” blogger as a fraud has lead to that young woman taking her life. Social media goes crazy and while everyone she knows tells her it’s not her fault, Suzy of course feels guilty. Then objects belonging to the girl are sent to her... seems like the beginning of a thriller but that’s not what this book is at all. I found it extremely readable although i don’t have much in common with the main characters it still seemed very relevant to modern life. Single motherhood, in fact all types of motherhood are explored. Suze’s young daughter Maddy is a delight. Suze makes extremely poor decisions when it comes to sex and relationships. There’s other topics covered , alcoholism, ageing and death, art, guilt, forgiveness and atonement.
Definitely an entertaining read.
Definitely an entertaining read.
Read
March 23, 2021Two and a half stars.
When Suzy Hamilton hears that Tracey Doran has killed herself, Suzy feels guilt after she exposed Tracey’s deception and false claims. She throws herself into looking after Maddy, her four year old, work and sex with two men. Then she starts to receive anonymous letter all featuring things from Tracey’s life. This makes Suzy more unsettled. Who is sending them and why? Could it be Tracey’s mother. Jan, who wants Suzy to write an affirming positive story about Tracey? Could it be a means for Suzy to atone in some way for the guilt that she feels for the 25 year old’s death?
The premise of this story is interesting and it certainly highlights the problems of social media where anonymous keyboard cowards can spew the most hateful and vile comments. There are some interesting observations about life and people throughout and some good prose. But it was not enough to maintain my interest. Maybe the characters are believable in the context of the political and journalism world, but I struggled to relate to or care about any of them, and that included Suzy. Added to which, some of her decisions seemed incredibly stupid and naive.
By the time the story was about half way through, I was getting bored with what, at times, seemed unnecessary and uninteresting information. I started to skim towards the end. The closer it progressed towards the end, the less believable I found the behaviour of characters. This is a personal view from someone who could not relate to or like the main character. Others may react differently.
My thanks to the publisher and Better Reading for my ARC to read and review. Though there were aspects of this book I appreciated, there were other aspects I did not. For me it was just an okay read but others may respond to it better than I did.
When Suzy Hamilton hears that Tracey Doran has killed herself, Suzy feels guilt after she exposed Tracey’s deception and false claims. She throws herself into looking after Maddy, her four year old, work and sex with two men. Then she starts to receive anonymous letter all featuring things from Tracey’s life. This makes Suzy more unsettled. Who is sending them and why? Could it be Tracey’s mother. Jan, who wants Suzy to write an affirming positive story about Tracey? Could it be a means for Suzy to atone in some way for the guilt that she feels for the 25 year old’s death?
The premise of this story is interesting and it certainly highlights the problems of social media where anonymous keyboard cowards can spew the most hateful and vile comments. There are some interesting observations about life and people throughout and some good prose. But it was not enough to maintain my interest. Maybe the characters are believable in the context of the political and journalism world, but I struggled to relate to or care about any of them, and that included Suzy. Added to which, some of her decisions seemed incredibly stupid and naive.
By the time the story was about half way through, I was getting bored with what, at times, seemed unnecessary and uninteresting information. I started to skim towards the end. The closer it progressed towards the end, the less believable I found the behaviour of characters. This is a personal view from someone who could not relate to or like the main character. Others may react differently.
My thanks to the publisher and Better Reading for my ARC to read and review. Though there were aspects of this book I appreciated, there were other aspects I did not. For me it was just an okay read but others may respond to it better than I did.
September 15, 2023
It's hard to believe this is Ms Maley's first book, and only book so far. Her day job is as a journalist with the Sydney Morning Herald, so writing is not new to her, but I found this book outstanding. Ostensibly the book is about a journalist who writes an expose about an internet sensation that has lied about having cancer and curing herself. The day after her article is written, the woman kills herself. But there is so much else going on. Suzy Hamilton is a single mum living in Glebe in Sydney in her elderly great uncle's house raising Maddy. I loved how Maddy played such an important and real part of the story. I love books taking place in my hometown, Glebe has been part of several good books I have read of late, so it almost feels like home to me (I live a few kms away).
I really liked this book a lot and hope to see another book from Ms Maley. I have included some notes/quotes from the book below, if anyone can tell me how to highlight them from a library book onto Goodreads, I would appreciate it. It automatically does it from my kindle, no idea how to do it otherwise. And as it was a library ebook, which I usually read on Adobe, I could not make the font bigger on this one for the first time, so the print was really small across the entire page, which made reading difficult. But the content was excellent. 5 full stars from me.
Small women always made me feel overly large, as though my person was spilling out over the edges, even though I dieted to keep myself within what I deemed were the acceptable borders. pg 58
Married life was her destination.
But Beverley’s problem had always been that her intelligence out-stripped her imagination, so after a few years, when she got bored and very angry, she didn’t know why. pg 93
My mother had a special gift for the manipulation of silence. pg 96
I pondered whether that’s why I had ended up with a man like Charlie, who offered the promise of great love but always welched on it, a man who shrouded his own need by turning on those who loved him, by telling them – by telling me – that he despised me, that he thought me pathetic, ugly and
low; a man who forgot, or misplaced, in his war on me, the capacious needs of our daughter. pg 96
He just got sozzled every lunchtime and fell asleep by mid-afternoon, if he could, and then perked up for dinner, where he could serve his own thirst under the shroud of serving drinks to his family. He was what they called functional. The alcohol helped him segue out of situations. Through it, he was able to leave, without moving, and without rancour. He could absent himself without causing any bother. It was a style of life management I thought had its merits. I dipped into it myself, from time to time. pg 96
She looked at him like she was hungry and he was a snack. pg 214
These days I often found myself looking at young girls with great tenderness, thinking about how Maddy would one day be one – a jumble of self-consciousness and need and foalish limbs. A fragile, strong thing. It was like the inverse feeling to nostalgia, like a tender longing for something that hasn’t happened yet. pg 241
I really liked this book a lot and hope to see another book from Ms Maley. I have included some notes/quotes from the book below, if anyone can tell me how to highlight them from a library book onto Goodreads, I would appreciate it. It automatically does it from my kindle, no idea how to do it otherwise. And as it was a library ebook, which I usually read on Adobe, I could not make the font bigger on this one for the first time, so the print was really small across the entire page, which made reading difficult. But the content was excellent. 5 full stars from me.
Small women always made me feel overly large, as though my person was spilling out over the edges, even though I dieted to keep myself within what I deemed were the acceptable borders. pg 58
Married life was her destination.
But Beverley’s problem had always been that her intelligence out-stripped her imagination, so after a few years, when she got bored and very angry, she didn’t know why. pg 93
My mother had a special gift for the manipulation of silence. pg 96
I pondered whether that’s why I had ended up with a man like Charlie, who offered the promise of great love but always welched on it, a man who shrouded his own need by turning on those who loved him, by telling them – by telling me – that he despised me, that he thought me pathetic, ugly and
low; a man who forgot, or misplaced, in his war on me, the capacious needs of our daughter. pg 96
He just got sozzled every lunchtime and fell asleep by mid-afternoon, if he could, and then perked up for dinner, where he could serve his own thirst under the shroud of serving drinks to his family. He was what they called functional. The alcohol helped him segue out of situations. Through it, he was able to leave, without moving, and without rancour. He could absent himself without causing any bother. It was a style of life management I thought had its merits. I dipped into it myself, from time to time. pg 96
She looked at him like she was hungry and he was a snack. pg 214
These days I often found myself looking at young girls with great tenderness, thinking about how Maddy would one day be one – a jumble of self-consciousness and need and foalish limbs. A fragile, strong thing. It was like the inverse feeling to nostalgia, like a tender longing for something that hasn’t happened yet. pg 241
July 6, 2021
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**3.5 stars**
The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley. (2021).
Journalist and single mother Suzy gets a phone call one morning and learns that the subject of one of her investigative exposés, 28 year old wellness blogger Tracey, has killed herself. Suzy is horrified but copes in the only way she knows how - through work, mothering, and sleeping with two different men. The consequences of her actions catch up. She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and Tracey's mother Jan contacts her to request she tell Tracey's story the right way.
This was an interesting novel and a solid debut for the author. I assumed the main storyline would be around the death of Tracey and the fallout from this; while it is about that to a degree, I think the focus is heavier on Suzy's experiences of single motherhood and the changes in life that she is being forced to go through. I didn't mind Suzy but I think she made some incredibly unwise choices at times, particularly in relation to sexual relationships (let's all just agree that sleeping with married bosses is never going to be a good idea). Suzy's daughter Maddy was adorable and I did really appreciate the depiction of the relationship between them which felt genuine and realistic. I think for me, I would have liked more details about Tracey and her history, especially as Suzy was writing Tracey's biography with Tracey's mum Jan.
Overall: I didn't love this one, but I definitely liked it and I'm sure it will be popular.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**3.5 stars**
The Truth About Her by Jacqueline Maley. (2021).
Journalist and single mother Suzy gets a phone call one morning and learns that the subject of one of her investigative exposés, 28 year old wellness blogger Tracey, has killed herself. Suzy is horrified but copes in the only way she knows how - through work, mothering, and sleeping with two different men. The consequences of her actions catch up. She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and Tracey's mother Jan contacts her to request she tell Tracey's story the right way.
This was an interesting novel and a solid debut for the author. I assumed the main storyline would be around the death of Tracey and the fallout from this; while it is about that to a degree, I think the focus is heavier on Suzy's experiences of single motherhood and the changes in life that she is being forced to go through. I didn't mind Suzy but I think she made some incredibly unwise choices at times, particularly in relation to sexual relationships (let's all just agree that sleeping with married bosses is never going to be a good idea). Suzy's daughter Maddy was adorable and I did really appreciate the depiction of the relationship between them which felt genuine and realistic. I think for me, I would have liked more details about Tracey and her history, especially as Suzy was writing Tracey's biography with Tracey's mum Jan.
Overall: I didn't love this one, but I definitely liked it and I'm sure it will be popular.
January 8, 2021
I'll keep this short and sweet... I couldn't put this down. The plot had me pinned. I found the character development grand, the writing was real - all of it tied together in a good form of chaos with clever surprises along the way (like our real introduction to Ben).
All I could do whilst I was at work, throughout the period of reading The Truth About Her, was think about Suzy and what might happen next. I finished the book feeling as if I know her - and that I am her friend.
And I'm thinking about her still.
That, my fellow readers, is a sign of an incredibly built character and a stellar work of fiction.
To Kimberley from Harper Collins, thank you for the advanced copy. The customers at my bookstore will be anticipating its release!
All I could do whilst I was at work, throughout the period of reading The Truth About Her, was think about Suzy and what might happen next. I finished the book feeling as if I know her - and that I am her friend.
And I'm thinking about her still.
That, my fellow readers, is a sign of an incredibly built character and a stellar work of fiction.
To Kimberley from Harper Collins, thank you for the advanced copy. The customers at my bookstore will be anticipating its release!
June 5, 2021
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
3.5 stars
An award-winning columnist and journalist Jacqueline Maley makes her debut in the contemporary fiction field with her first novel, The Truth About Her. A story of motherhood, relationships, family, love, impressions and truths, this is an observant novel penned by an emerging voice in Australian fiction.
The Truth About Her follows the life of Suzy Hamilton, a journalist who is confronted with a harsh reality in relation to one of her previous stories. This single mother must contend with the fallout from the death of one of her stories, a wellness blogger has taken her own life following the publication of Suzy’s revealing article on her complicated life. This comes as quite a shock to the dedicated journalist, but the struggle of her family responsibilities, work and ill-fated love choices plunges this journalist into a world she now seems to have little control over. The Truth About Her closely follows Suzy’s unravelling as she deals with the aftermath of Tracey Doran’s death. Things spiral out of control for Suzy when she begins to receive some threatening letters, then Tracey’s mother comes onto the scene, demanding that Suzy report her daughter’s story in an alternative light. Jacqueline Maley’s first novel is a journey into the complex reality of truth, lies, stories, ownership and self-worth.
It is always great to see a new author bounce onto the Australian contemporary fiction scene. The Truth About Her held much promise for me. I was keen to see how this respected journalist would delve into a fictional story based around the profession she knows so well – journalism. The reporting world is a difficult one, rife with issues of integrity, truth, lies and more, the list could go on! It was exciting to see an author take a critical gaze on this profession.
Maley’s writing is poised and assured. When this book opens, the reader is thrown into the fast-paced chaos of the situation at hand. However, the pace seems to dip a bit after the first third of the book and then it ramps up again to the conclusion. This did unsettle me a bit, it felt a bit like a bumpy ride and I wasn’t sure where Maley was directing me to travel. The Truth About Her offers the reader a rich character-based study. Maley is dedicated to exploring her characters inside and out. However, I will be honest and admit I felt some distance between the cast and me as the reader for the duration of The Truth About Her. As a result, I’m still struggling to align my thoughts on this one.
Maley offers up a good interrogation of a range of topical themes. From marriage, parenting, motherhood, relationships between parents and their children, blame, guilt, regret, despair, ill choices, devastating loss and the overarching theme of media reporting. The Truth About Her navigates some expansive territory. The ending was composed well and the story did conclude on a plausible note.
There are many workable elements to The Truth About Her that will appeal readers. I’m still deciding on how I feel about this debut set piece, I think I will linger on it a little longer.
*Thanks extended to HarperCollins Books Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Truth About Her is book #51 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
3.5 stars
An award-winning columnist and journalist Jacqueline Maley makes her debut in the contemporary fiction field with her first novel, The Truth About Her. A story of motherhood, relationships, family, love, impressions and truths, this is an observant novel penned by an emerging voice in Australian fiction.
The Truth About Her follows the life of Suzy Hamilton, a journalist who is confronted with a harsh reality in relation to one of her previous stories. This single mother must contend with the fallout from the death of one of her stories, a wellness blogger has taken her own life following the publication of Suzy’s revealing article on her complicated life. This comes as quite a shock to the dedicated journalist, but the struggle of her family responsibilities, work and ill-fated love choices plunges this journalist into a world she now seems to have little control over. The Truth About Her closely follows Suzy’s unravelling as she deals with the aftermath of Tracey Doran’s death. Things spiral out of control for Suzy when she begins to receive some threatening letters, then Tracey’s mother comes onto the scene, demanding that Suzy report her daughter’s story in an alternative light. Jacqueline Maley’s first novel is a journey into the complex reality of truth, lies, stories, ownership and self-worth.
It is always great to see a new author bounce onto the Australian contemporary fiction scene. The Truth About Her held much promise for me. I was keen to see how this respected journalist would delve into a fictional story based around the profession she knows so well – journalism. The reporting world is a difficult one, rife with issues of integrity, truth, lies and more, the list could go on! It was exciting to see an author take a critical gaze on this profession.
Maley’s writing is poised and assured. When this book opens, the reader is thrown into the fast-paced chaos of the situation at hand. However, the pace seems to dip a bit after the first third of the book and then it ramps up again to the conclusion. This did unsettle me a bit, it felt a bit like a bumpy ride and I wasn’t sure where Maley was directing me to travel. The Truth About Her offers the reader a rich character-based study. Maley is dedicated to exploring her characters inside and out. However, I will be honest and admit I felt some distance between the cast and me as the reader for the duration of The Truth About Her. As a result, I’m still struggling to align my thoughts on this one.
Maley offers up a good interrogation of a range of topical themes. From marriage, parenting, motherhood, relationships between parents and their children, blame, guilt, regret, despair, ill choices, devastating loss and the overarching theme of media reporting. The Truth About Her navigates some expansive territory. The ending was composed well and the story did conclude on a plausible note.
There are many workable elements to The Truth About Her that will appeal readers. I’m still deciding on how I feel about this debut set piece, I think I will linger on it a little longer.
*Thanks extended to HarperCollins Books Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
The Truth About Her is book #51 of the 2021 Australian Women Writers Challenge
July 2, 2021
I loved this book. It’s generous, perceptive, insightful, and beautifully written.
In particular, I loved the exploration of guilt, shame, and self-loathing. Throughout the novel, Suzy must do battle with her own self-criticism, and the criticisms of those around her - both real and perceived.
The opening lines really sum up Suzy’s journey, “I had just stopped sleeping with two very different men, following involvement in what some people on the internet called a ‘sex scandal’, although when it was described that way it didn’t seem like the kind of thing that happened to me. It seemed like something that happened to the people I wrote about, who were a different sort of people altogether.”
It seemed to me, that Suzy’s story is a story about forgiving yourself and, in doing so, learning to forgive others and see their behaviour as a part of a broader struggle, or journey, in which mistakes are plentiful and the good things are often taken for granted. And so, Suzy discovers that there aren’t inherently bad people - “a different sort of people altogether” - there are just people doing their best.
It sounds trite when I write it like that, but ‘The Truth About Her’ is a beautiful illustration of this idea, and incredibly validating and hopeful for anyone who has judged themselves a bit too harshly, and clung onto shame a big too long (so, in reality... most women...).
So now I won’t just look out for Maley’s articles, I’ll also look out for her next novel.
In particular, I loved the exploration of guilt, shame, and self-loathing. Throughout the novel, Suzy must do battle with her own self-criticism, and the criticisms of those around her - both real and perceived.
The opening lines really sum up Suzy’s journey, “I had just stopped sleeping with two very different men, following involvement in what some people on the internet called a ‘sex scandal’, although when it was described that way it didn’t seem like the kind of thing that happened to me. It seemed like something that happened to the people I wrote about, who were a different sort of people altogether.”
It seemed to me, that Suzy’s story is a story about forgiving yourself and, in doing so, learning to forgive others and see their behaviour as a part of a broader struggle, or journey, in which mistakes are plentiful and the good things are often taken for granted. And so, Suzy discovers that there aren’t inherently bad people - “a different sort of people altogether” - there are just people doing their best.
It sounds trite when I write it like that, but ‘The Truth About Her’ is a beautiful illustration of this idea, and incredibly validating and hopeful for anyone who has judged themselves a bit too harshly, and clung onto shame a big too long (so, in reality... most women...).
So now I won’t just look out for Maley’s articles, I’ll also look out for her next novel.
March 13, 2021
I positively gulped the first third of this down and was literally breathless. But Maley couldn’t maintain the pace or the intrigue sadly and ultimately this was a patchy work of fiction. A truly perfect opening line though if you’re into that kind of thing (goodness knows I am).
April 18, 2021
The Truth About Her was an unputdownable read - I listened to it over four days. Journalist Jacqueline Maley is so skilled at crafting characters - I really did feel like I knew them all.
Suzy Hamilton, a newspaper journalist, is approaching forty. She’s a single mothered four year old Maddy, and her journalism career comes to a halt when she writes a story about Tracey Doran - a social media charlatan who fakes her own cancer, is sued by the family of a former politician and and is revealed to be having an affair with the newspaper CEO. Maddy’s Dad Charlie is out of the picture, though there are many flashbacks to when Suzy and he were together and also broken up.
It also looks at the way online trolling impacts careers and personal lives of public figures - both Tracey’s and also Suzy’s. I suspect Tracey is based on Belle Gibson - the wellness warrior whom in 2015, was found to be faking her brain cancer.
An unlikely friendship sparks between Suzy and Jan Doran - Tracey’s mother, after a difficult start. Jan asks Suzy to write Tracey’s story. I really enjoyed the way Jacqueline brought Jan to life through describing her clothing, and the audiobook narrator did a great job of capturing Jan’s tone.
It was character based, rather than plot based, hard to tell the time line, though I suspect it spanned the months of a hot Australian summer. The relationships aren’t complex, many characters are unlikeable. There are many things happening at once - the demise of romantic relationships, the strain between Suzy and her mother Beverly, the resentment for Charlie leaving, the hidden life of her dying great Uncle Sam, finding herself after her journalism career fell apart, and trying to stay afloat financially. Ultimately it’s about motherhood - the difficulty off balancing it all - ensuring Maddy is happy and gets her vegetable serving.
It started off punchy but I felt it had a slow middle. It was a long read - a lot was happening (especially toward the end) - and I felt I wanted to know more about Tracey than the detail given to the peripheral characters. I also wanted to know what “The Incident” was - it was referred to a lot, though I didn’t feel that was properly reconciled. Though it wasn’t in enjoyable, I wanted to know what happened next.
There was a throwaway line where Suzy wished psoriasis on her ex for a bit of annoyance - that was uncomfortable to read - severe skin conditions are more than just an inconvenient impairment, and shouldn’t be wished on an enemy.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator is very skilled in bringing the characters to life.
Suzy Hamilton, a newspaper journalist, is approaching forty. She’s a single mothered four year old Maddy, and her journalism career comes to a halt when she writes a story about Tracey Doran - a social media charlatan who fakes her own cancer, is sued by the family of a former politician and and is revealed to be having an affair with the newspaper CEO. Maddy’s Dad Charlie is out of the picture, though there are many flashbacks to when Suzy and he were together and also broken up.
It also looks at the way online trolling impacts careers and personal lives of public figures - both Tracey’s and also Suzy’s. I suspect Tracey is based on Belle Gibson - the wellness warrior whom in 2015, was found to be faking her brain cancer.
An unlikely friendship sparks between Suzy and Jan Doran - Tracey’s mother, after a difficult start. Jan asks Suzy to write Tracey’s story. I really enjoyed the way Jacqueline brought Jan to life through describing her clothing, and the audiobook narrator did a great job of capturing Jan’s tone.
It was character based, rather than plot based, hard to tell the time line, though I suspect it spanned the months of a hot Australian summer. The relationships aren’t complex, many characters are unlikeable. There are many things happening at once - the demise of romantic relationships, the strain between Suzy and her mother Beverly, the resentment for Charlie leaving, the hidden life of her dying great Uncle Sam, finding herself after her journalism career fell apart, and trying to stay afloat financially. Ultimately it’s about motherhood - the difficulty off balancing it all - ensuring Maddy is happy and gets her vegetable serving.
It started off punchy but I felt it had a slow middle. It was a long read - a lot was happening (especially toward the end) - and I felt I wanted to know more about Tracey than the detail given to the peripheral characters. I also wanted to know what “The Incident” was - it was referred to a lot, though I didn’t feel that was properly reconciled. Though it wasn’t in enjoyable, I wanted to know what happened next.
There was a throwaway line where Suzy wished psoriasis on her ex for a bit of annoyance - that was uncomfortable to read - severe skin conditions are more than just an inconvenient impairment, and shouldn’t be wished on an enemy.
I listened to the audiobook. The narrator is very skilled in bringing the characters to life.
Read
January 16, 2021Intelligent and gripping novel, written beautifully. Can't recommend any higher. Wonderfully dark and light in equal measure. Jacqueline Maley is one of the country's best columnists and commentators and she is clearly now a brilliant novelist.
June 2, 2021
I read this quite quickly as it was easy to get through and pretty interesting. I think overall it was a ‘good book’ but a few things stop me from wholeheartedly endorsing it. I’ll start, however, with the pros. Jacqueline Maley can write. She can write really well. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Sydney. I lived in Glebe—where the narrator Suzy lives—for a few months when I moved to Sydney for work in 2005 and I thought it was a lovely area. It was nice to be taken back there, and to really feel the heat of the Sydney summer (which I don’t remember being as bad as portrayed in this book). While Suzy had few redeeming qualities (see below!), I quite liked the way her relationship developed with Jan, the mother of Tracey, a wellness blogger who killed herself after Suzy wrote a newspaper article exposing her as a fraud. Jan has come to Sydney from her home on the Gold Coast to seek Suzy out. She wants Suzy to take some responsibility for her daughter’s death and is offering her a chance at redemption. Suzy accepts this offer and starts interviewing Jan to gather information to write an article about Tracey’s life—an article that will cast Tracey in a ‘positive’ light. This article isn’t for publication, but rather is a transformative experience for both Jan and Suzy in different ways. Throughout the process, certain truths emerge, forcing Suzy to question the possibility of ever really ‘knowing’ someone. She is forced to confront her past, especially her lingering emotional ties to her estranged ex-husband and father to her toddler Maddy. Some reviews of this book criticise its slow pace, but this is something that I didn’t even notice. I guess I don’t need the pace of a book to be quick to remain absorbed in it. I quite liked the meandering character developments. Suzy’s relationship with her parents was intriguing. I thought her mother was a bit of a Vaucluse caricature, but her father, a medical doctor who had lost their family money through poor investments and was now a functioning alcoholic was captivating. Suzy’s relationship with him was almost that of an observer, and I think this is probably quite an accurate representation of the relationship between many women of my generation and their professional fathers, who were hard-working, often absent and emotionally detached.
Now for the cons. I know a narrator doesn’t have to be likeable for a book to be good. But I think she or he has to at least be believable and relatable. Suzy’s character might have been believable—I haven’t met all the people in the world, so maybe there is someone out there in the world like her—but she wasn’t very relatable and some of her behaviour was unrealistic. I have some single mother friends with toddlers, and I guarantee you they don’t have time to be having sex with anyone, let alone TWO different men. This is where the book careens into ‘chick lit’ territory, because it’s fantasy. Most annoying though, were her circumstances, which through absolutely no effort on her part, were by the end of the book better than those of almost anyone I know. The story attempted to paint Suzy’s life as one fraught with difficulties, but the ending was unfortunately (and predictably) wrapped up in a neat, convenient bow – she got the great job, the house and the guy. Again, chick lit terrain here. As a reader, I prefer to be challenged and offered a more complex conclusion that leaves me thinking about things, or even life. At a more basic level, Suzy came from a very privileged family (only child with a doctor father) so depicting her as somehow on struggle street was insulting. It’s very difficult to take a character like that seriously. And finally, for a book written by a woman with a female audience in mind, it was disappointing and rather odd that Suzy appeared to have no female friends. Her social life seemed to revolve around shagging men and drinking heavily with her gay male colleague. And the naked judgments and hatred of other ‘perfect’ mothers….I get it, but she surely would have some women friends in her life as well? Unfortunately, this is just another version of the garden variety of internalised misogyny we see everywhere in pop culture: “Women are bitches, so I choose to hang out with men, they get me better anyway”. Sad.
Now for the cons. I know a narrator doesn’t have to be likeable for a book to be good. But I think she or he has to at least be believable and relatable. Suzy’s character might have been believable—I haven’t met all the people in the world, so maybe there is someone out there in the world like her—but she wasn’t very relatable and some of her behaviour was unrealistic. I have some single mother friends with toddlers, and I guarantee you they don’t have time to be having sex with anyone, let alone TWO different men. This is where the book careens into ‘chick lit’ territory, because it’s fantasy. Most annoying though, were her circumstances, which through absolutely no effort on her part, were by the end of the book better than those of almost anyone I know. The story attempted to paint Suzy’s life as one fraught with difficulties, but the ending was unfortunately (and predictably) wrapped up in a neat, convenient bow – she got the great job, the house and the guy. Again, chick lit terrain here. As a reader, I prefer to be challenged and offered a more complex conclusion that leaves me thinking about things, or even life. At a more basic level, Suzy came from a very privileged family (only child with a doctor father) so depicting her as somehow on struggle street was insulting. It’s very difficult to take a character like that seriously. And finally, for a book written by a woman with a female audience in mind, it was disappointing and rather odd that Suzy appeared to have no female friends. Her social life seemed to revolve around shagging men and drinking heavily with her gay male colleague. And the naked judgments and hatred of other ‘perfect’ mothers….I get it, but she surely would have some women friends in her life as well? Unfortunately, this is just another version of the garden variety of internalised misogyny we see everywhere in pop culture: “Women are bitches, so I choose to hang out with men, they get me better anyway”. Sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley as well as The Borough Press for providing me with a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Kindle cover of The Truth About Her had me expecting a more fast-paced, murder-mystery-esque story (although I was well aware the blurb said Tracey Doran’s death was a suicide). The other edition, with the blue background and half of a woman’s face, fits the content of this novel better: it promises exactly what the pages deliver i.e. something with a slower pace and more introspection than the average mystery actually holds. I will admit that I prefer the Kindle cover as an individual entity to the paperback version; the fact remains, though, that the latter represents the story better than the former does.
Despite the above, this was a satisfying read. It explored the darker areas of motherhood, the parts not often talked about in spaces like those cultivated by the Park Mothers (as Suzy Hamilton, the main character of the novel, liked to call them). Not being a mother myself, Suzy’s life was a source of fascination for me, and I drank in every single interaction between Suzy and her cherubic daughter Maddy—including the not-so-happy ones.
The best word I can think of to describe the writing style is “economical.” It did its job, conveying the story to the reader as it was meant, but it didn’t stand out in any way. Most of the novel was delivered in short, simple sentences, with the longer ones reserved for describing a setting or object. Essentially, nothing to write home about.
Although the plot took its time to unwind, it managed to hook me to the very end. Granted, for maybe half the novel I felt I was waiting for more action to happen, due partially to the Kindle cover skewing my expectations and partially to my own misunderstandings regarding what I was walking into, and I finished the read feeling content. I did actually get some of the action I was hoping for, with a high-tension scene in the final quarter, so I was pleased in that respect as well.
The Truth About Her's official publication date is only two weeks away. If the premise and this review intrigued you, consider adding it to your TBRs!
The Kindle cover of The Truth About Her had me expecting a more fast-paced, murder-mystery-esque story (although I was well aware the blurb said Tracey Doran’s death was a suicide). The other edition, with the blue background and half of a woman’s face, fits the content of this novel better: it promises exactly what the pages deliver i.e. something with a slower pace and more introspection than the average mystery actually holds. I will admit that I prefer the Kindle cover as an individual entity to the paperback version; the fact remains, though, that the latter represents the story better than the former does.
Despite the above, this was a satisfying read. It explored the darker areas of motherhood, the parts not often talked about in spaces like those cultivated by the Park Mothers (as Suzy Hamilton, the main character of the novel, liked to call them). Not being a mother myself, Suzy’s life was a source of fascination for me, and I drank in every single interaction between Suzy and her cherubic daughter Maddy—including the not-so-happy ones.
The best word I can think of to describe the writing style is “economical.” It did its job, conveying the story to the reader as it was meant, but it didn’t stand out in any way. Most of the novel was delivered in short, simple sentences, with the longer ones reserved for describing a setting or object. Essentially, nothing to write home about.
Although the plot took its time to unwind, it managed to hook me to the very end. Granted, for maybe half the novel I felt I was waiting for more action to happen, due partially to the Kindle cover skewing my expectations and partially to my own misunderstandings regarding what I was walking into, and I finished the read feeling content. I did actually get some of the action I was hoping for, with a high-tension scene in the final quarter, so I was pleased in that respect as well.
The Truth About Her's official publication date is only two weeks away. If the premise and this review intrigued you, consider adding it to your TBRs!
August 25, 2021
I loved this book - the writing style reminded me so much of Jaclyn Moriarty, which is the highest compliment I can possibly give! The characters were so well written and the plot was engaging. The whole book captured the challenges of balancing motherhood and work perfectly and the conflicting feelings of loving your child more than anything in the world, while also grieving a lack of freedom and time to yourself.
March 26, 2021
Initially, I was gripped - the first quarter of this book is fast-paced, riveting and had me intrigued. Unfortunately, the remaining three quarters were stagnant, slow, and a lot of the book seemed to be quite irrelevant to the story.
The premise is fantastic, I was sadly disappointed as it could have been so much better - I also felt there were a few unanswered questions lingering too.
The premise is fantastic, I was sadly disappointed as it could have been so much better - I also felt there were a few unanswered questions lingering too.
July 26, 2021
Really enjoyed. A little bleak but also tender and a real page-turner for me. Loved the themes and the descriptions of (single) motherhood were particularly moving.
August 3, 2021
Goodness. What on earth? This is the whitest, thinnest, weirdest story. The protagonist seemed to learn nothing, but never mind, everything will be completely fine.
May 27, 2021
As the summer haze and heat settle over Sydney it is blanketed by an overwhelming sense of accountability and guilt.
Exposure of lies and bringing out the truth has deadly consequences that will spiral throughout the season as redemption is sought.
Suzy is a journalist, writing and reporting the facts consuming her professional life while raising her daughter on her own.
Completing an expose’ on a social media fraudster and calling her out on what has made her wealthy and well known comes full circle when she commits suicide.
The remorse exasperated when she meets the mother of the dead girl.
The mother clearly blaming Suzy for the death and wanting to extract revenge by coercing her to write her daughters story.
At first not clear or trusting of the situation she learns and appreciates a mother’s love and bias towards their children.
Creating sentimental and protective feelings for her own young daughter.
A tender and evocative story dealing with many emotions and motherhood while exploring the ownership and responsibility of content written in the public space.
The edgy and real style of writing was a stand out alongside the intriguing unfolding of events.
Exposure of lies and bringing out the truth has deadly consequences that will spiral throughout the season as redemption is sought.
Suzy is a journalist, writing and reporting the facts consuming her professional life while raising her daughter on her own.
Completing an expose’ on a social media fraudster and calling her out on what has made her wealthy and well known comes full circle when she commits suicide.
The remorse exasperated when she meets the mother of the dead girl.
The mother clearly blaming Suzy for the death and wanting to extract revenge by coercing her to write her daughters story.
At first not clear or trusting of the situation she learns and appreciates a mother’s love and bias towards their children.
Creating sentimental and protective feelings for her own young daughter.
A tender and evocative story dealing with many emotions and motherhood while exploring the ownership and responsibility of content written in the public space.
The edgy and real style of writing was a stand out alongside the intriguing unfolding of events.
August 24, 2021
Maley’s writing is the sharp, concise and acutely observed style that I really enjoy reading. To my mind it fits in the category that includes other Australian journalist/ authors Trent Dalton and Malcolm Knox, that of a keen, forensic-like documentation of the human condition. The story immediately clicked into place for me and I read it compulsively while also not wanting it to finish. Sublime analogies are peppered throughout, “there was just a haze of love that clung to us like bar-smoke and cast us in an unrealistic glow.”
It’s an easy to read story encompassing the big themes of guilt, love, loss and public humiliation. We follow the story of journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton who, over the course of a hot, sticky summer in Sydney’s Inner West, outs a wellness blogger/ social media star as a fraud and has humiliation and guilt turned back on herself. Suzy is a great character though, she’s down but not defeated. Her life is completely different to mine but I found her to be very relatable. She reflects on guilt, “I was a mother. We spend our lives sitting in guilt. In some of us, our guilt becomes so bound up with our experience of mothering that we cosset and nurture it. We love it, just as we do our babies themselves.”
I hope Maley is working on her second book because I can’t wait to read it.
It’s an easy to read story encompassing the big themes of guilt, love, loss and public humiliation. We follow the story of journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton who, over the course of a hot, sticky summer in Sydney’s Inner West, outs a wellness blogger/ social media star as a fraud and has humiliation and guilt turned back on herself. Suzy is a great character though, she’s down but not defeated. Her life is completely different to mine but I found her to be very relatable. She reflects on guilt, “I was a mother. We spend our lives sitting in guilt. In some of us, our guilt becomes so bound up with our experience of mothering that we cosset and nurture it. We love it, just as we do our babies themselves.”
I hope Maley is working on her second book because I can’t wait to read it.
April 4, 2021
The premise of The Truth About Her is what drew me in, and it would have kept me captivated had the novel not been so long. While I’m all for a character-driven plot, this one in particular dragged past the point where I could stay interested.
I appreciated the contrast between the mother who had lost her daughter and the mother raising a young girl. I liked the depth of the characters, and how intricately the story was woven with minute details that helped to build the story. There is no doubt that the author has a talent for constructing detail.
The issue for me was the way that the storyline didn’t progress quickly enough. The characters seemed to be going around in circles without experiencing growth and the story could have been told in half the number of pages.
I’d recommend this book to people who enjoy character-driven plots and depth of detail. To those who don’t: proceed with caution (unless you have hours to spare!).
Thank you to HarperCollins Australia and NetGalley for the review copy.
I appreciated the contrast between the mother who had lost her daughter and the mother raising a young girl. I liked the depth of the characters, and how intricately the story was woven with minute details that helped to build the story. There is no doubt that the author has a talent for constructing detail.
The issue for me was the way that the storyline didn’t progress quickly enough. The characters seemed to be going around in circles without experiencing growth and the story could have been told in half the number of pages.
I’d recommend this book to people who enjoy character-driven plots and depth of detail. To those who don’t: proceed with caution (unless you have hours to spare!).
Thank you to HarperCollins Australia and NetGalley for the review copy.
March 25, 2021
3.25☆
If your life isn't yours, but loaned out constantly to others, then who is responsible when bad things happen or go wrong?
Unfortunately this is an average read in which the above question only arises 2/3 in (pg 283 or thereabouts).
After finishing this book I didn't feel or think anthing. It was well written, good character development, intriguing storyline, but I felt disconnected to the emotions of the characters. I didn't feel the guilt, love, grief.
But maybe that was the point. Are the characters just coasting through life, just going through the emotions? Waiting for something to happen to them?
In summary, this wasn't a bad read and I felt content with the ending, but I felt it could have been more.
A copy of The Truth About Her was provided by BetterReading in exchange for an honest review.
If your life isn't yours, but loaned out constantly to others, then who is responsible when bad things happen or go wrong?
Unfortunately this is an average read in which the above question only arises 2/3 in (pg 283 or thereabouts).
After finishing this book I didn't feel or think anthing. It was well written, good character development, intriguing storyline, but I felt disconnected to the emotions of the characters. I didn't feel the guilt, love, grief.
But maybe that was the point. Are the characters just coasting through life, just going through the emotions? Waiting for something to happen to them?
In summary, this wasn't a bad read and I felt content with the ending, but I felt it could have been more.
A copy of The Truth About Her was provided by BetterReading in exchange for an honest review.
May 21, 2021
3.5 stars. I absolutely loved the prose in this book. So well written, some biting and memorable sentences. The premise was interesting and not unbelievable (ie. so very real), I was really intrigued as to what this fabulous writer would do with it. Unfortunately the plot really lagged around 1/3 of the way through the book, and for about 100 pages I found myself waiting for something - anything - to happen to spark connection again. It was only my interest in the turn of phrase, and the fact I had a Book Club reading deadline, that I didn’t put it aside for something more gripping. I’m glad I pressed on through the mid-plot lull. Even though the romp to the end of the book was not necessarily believable and the characters became less ‘real’, I enjoyed the feel good and neat tie up of all the ends. It’s going to be an interesting one to discuss, that’s for sure!
June 4, 2021
The novel’s title is a clever one as we actually find out the truth about several women. By far the most intriguing, well drawn female character (there are some interesting blokes as well) is the protagonist Suzy whose journalist fervour and commitment lead to unexpected and unintended consequences which impact the lives of others. The relationships between various mothers and daughters in the novel are expertly brought into sharp relief by Jacqueline Maley; these complex relationships are the highlight of this well written, engaging novel.
June 28, 2021
So many things to praise in this book - the writing, the themes, the topicality and the mother-daughter relationships for a start. However I was left with feeling really annoyed with the depiction of the main character. Suzy's devotion to Maddie rang true, but with a bit less sex and alcohol maybe she could have managed to cook a decent meal and make her a snack for a visit to the park. On the other hand, the grieving mother, Jan, was a complex but satisfying character. This debut novel shows much promise.
July 20, 2021
My love for this book caught me by surprise. It’s witty and incredibly well written. I enjoyed the plot. But it’s the exploration of motherhood and guilt that got me in the end. 4.5 ⭐️
November 25, 2021
Enjoyed this read. Found the premise a bit uncomfortably like a Belle Gibson reflection at first. Themes of motherhood, career, love and family. I’d recommend as a terrific summer read.
July 13, 2021
I really enjoyed the modern issues raised by this book. Set in Sydney, it tells the story of Suzy, a journalist whose life is complicated by things like how her work affects the lives of her subjects, defamation claims, internet gurus, single parenthood, the search for a life that’s not lonely, all the while being very casual in her sexual hook ups. A key theme is guilt, she feels it about her work and family life.
The author is a very polished writer, I was quickly caught up by her fast pace and clever concise ways of saying a lot in a few words.
The plot seemed to be slow to move on, it did develop more complexity with characters like Jan, but I found the ending a real surprise. (That’s not a spoiler).
The author is a very polished writer, I was quickly caught up by her fast pace and clever concise ways of saying a lot in a few words.
The plot seemed to be slow to move on, it did develop more complexity with characters like Jan, but I found the ending a real surprise. (That’s not a spoiler).
May 29, 2021
I really wanted to give this 3.5 stars. It's better than 3, but not quite 4. However it felt more right to round up rather than down.
I wasn't too sure when I started this. The first couple of chapters were ok, but it was feeling like standard chick-lit, nothing special. And then just before the half way mark, something changed. The story became grittier, more substantive and intriguing. I started to really want to know what would happen. The characters became more complex and compelling.
As a journalist, it's part of Suzy's job to expose fraud and untruths. And that is exactly what she did to social media influencer, Tracy, who has most of the world convinced that she has cured her cancer through diet and clean living. I find it interesting that in all I have read, no one has mentioned Belle Gibson, the real life woman who fooled the world into believing she had cured herself of cancer. The biggest difference between Belle and Maley's character Tracy, is that Tracy takes her own life after she is exposed.
Maley's exploration of Suzy's guilt over this was one of the more fascinating parts of the book. It's essential, I believe, that things like this be exposed for what they are, but what are the responsibilities from those who are doing the exposing? If you are unable to live with the consequences of your actions, is that really anyone else's fault?
I found Maley's observations about motherhood fantastic. I really felt Suzy's daughter Maddy was an anchor for her. With everything else swirling around, Maddy was solid and dependable. There was relationship was grounding, but Maley also made sure you knew being a mother, especially a single mother was hard. After several recent reads of unreliable mothers is was nice to find a reliable one!
There were parts of this that felt clunky and not quite right (thus the 3.5 rather than 4 rating), but it definitely improved the further I read and I'm glad I continued.
I wasn't too sure when I started this. The first couple of chapters were ok, but it was feeling like standard chick-lit, nothing special. And then just before the half way mark, something changed. The story became grittier, more substantive and intriguing. I started to really want to know what would happen. The characters became more complex and compelling.
As a journalist, it's part of Suzy's job to expose fraud and untruths. And that is exactly what she did to social media influencer, Tracy, who has most of the world convinced that she has cured her cancer through diet and clean living. I find it interesting that in all I have read, no one has mentioned Belle Gibson, the real life woman who fooled the world into believing she had cured herself of cancer. The biggest difference between Belle and Maley's character Tracy, is that Tracy takes her own life after she is exposed.
Maley's exploration of Suzy's guilt over this was one of the more fascinating parts of the book. It's essential, I believe, that things like this be exposed for what they are, but what are the responsibilities from those who are doing the exposing? If you are unable to live with the consequences of your actions, is that really anyone else's fault?
I found Maley's observations about motherhood fantastic. I really felt Suzy's daughter Maddy was an anchor for her. With everything else swirling around, Maddy was solid and dependable. There was relationship was grounding, but Maley also made sure you knew being a mother, especially a single mother was hard. After several recent reads of unreliable mothers is was nice to find a reliable one!
There were parts of this that felt clunky and not quite right (thus the 3.5 rather than 4 rating), but it definitely improved the further I read and I'm glad I continued.
June 11, 2021
This was a great character study and I was very caught up in what would happen next in the messy lives of Suzy and Jan. Many issues are raised, including the duty of care to journalism, relationships and motherhood. Maley’s descriptive prose is so good. Many sentences had me smiling, others had me thinking. I think if you like the style of Ann Patchett and Joanna Trollope, you will also love this book.
February 10, 2021
A compelling read about a journalist and the inherent fallout from a story she publishes. Through this, and some other bad decisions, she is at a crossroad in her life and must come to grips with some difficult issues. I like the perspective of the book from a journalists point of view, we can assume which was influenced by an incident which appeared in the newspapers some years ago.
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