The Truth About Melody Browne by Lisa Jewell on April 5, 2022
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / General, Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense, Fiction / Women
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
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When she was a child, Melody Browne’s house burned down, destroying all her family’s possessions and her memories. Ever since this tragic event, Melody has had no recollection of her life before she was rescued from the flames. Now in her early thirties, Melody is a single mother, living in the middle of London with her teenaged son. She hasn’t seen her parents since she left home at fifteen, but she has no desire to reconnect until one night, while attending a hypnotist show with a date, she faints. When she comes around, she is suddenly overwhelmed with fragmented memories of her life before that fateful fire. Slowly, she begins the arduous process of piecing together the real story of her childhood. Her journey takes her up and down the countryside, to seaside towns to the back streets of London, where she meets strangers who seem to love her like their own. But the more answers she uncovers, the more questions she is left with, and Melody can’t help but wonder if she’ll ever know the whole truth about her past.
To start, this book is WAY different than what she is normally known for. As a whole, this is a good book. In parts, I felt there were too many contrivances and missed opportunities. While there is a little dark to the story, drama drives the story forward, and it has a heartwarming tone to it with the likeable characters. I thought it was a refreshing change of pace that still had suspense and tension to keep me engaged in the story. Once I got to the end, I sighed with satisfaction. The story comes full circle and Melody remembers and learns about her childhood–the good and the bad.
I gave this one four stars. I realized this is one of her old time works, so the genre is a little different from her regular suspense books which I really enjoy more. It’s an impressive family drama with bunch of deeply layered, impeccably developed and memorable characters. I always enjoy the powerful writing style of Jewell so it was another hit for me.