Ceecee's Reviews > The Other Side of Night

This is a tale of the absolute unexpected. Do not read the blurb or anything that may sneak in some clues as this is a just go in blind read in order to confound and enhance your expectations. This is a unique read that is a terrific blend of several genres but which does also rightly sit in the mystery thriller bracket. It will blow your mind as it blows mine. It takes me several hours to try to process before putting pen to paper in what I can say with certainty as I think this is brilliant. I’ll try to give you a flavour which is spoiler free, here goes!

This is the story of how former police officer Harriet Kealty destroys David Asha’s son Elliot’s life and then absolutely redeems it. It is told through a variety of means such as court reports, book extracts, video transcripts as well as the perspective of characters including Harriet. If that sounds as if it’s going to be disjointed, it isn’t as Adam Hamdy blends the puzzling conundrum seamlessly in a fast paced, slick and complex plot.

The author hooks me in immediately as I almost greedily swallow and savour the pages in anticipation of the compelling and utterly gripping tale. It is brim full of emotion and pain as you feel the sense of failure of several characters and how they shoulder the blame and the regret of their choices. It’s very intense in places especially with some relationships which are fascinating in their complexity and the tension between them bounces off the pages.

Some characters feel other worldly at times and so it feels strange and perplexing as Harriet tries to piece together the clues she’s either witnesses or discovers, some of which are often in the form of poetry. I love this element which adds a little something extra!

There is a lot going on but at times it’s also reflective and still which is welcome as you try to process your building suspicions. In places my jaw drops, my brain fries trying to take it all in and trust me, some of the twists are outstanding.

Overall, this is an excellent blend of themes, it’s a go with the flow read for a better experience and oddly, I find I can buy into what I’ve just read because it is so well written.

Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Pan MacMillan for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.