This book is a totally different genre for me, I normally like to listen to or read books of a much lighter vein. But when I read the blurb I was intrigued and when I listened to the sample I liked the narrator’s voice which for me is very important so I thought I would give it a listen. I am so very glad I did.
For me this was a story about loss of life and hope more than anything else. Angela who is a renowned psychologist has lost her husband to illness. Michael her husband died basically because the person in a position to offer help didn’t. Now she only seems to have her work and when one day a man who will not give her his name but tells her to call him “D.J.” comes to her office and tells her he wants to engage her services, not to help him heal but to be an expert witness after his death. He plans to commit suicide in six months time and wants her to testify in court, should it come to that, that his wife Taylor knew nothing of his plans.
Angela refuses to be his doctor but agrees to meet with him every week and record their meetings so that she will be able to do as he asks. She plans to do everything in her power to save him, he plans to do everything in his power to stay anonymous and achieve his goal of dying in six month’s time leaving Taylor financially secure by means of the payment of his life insurance.
All of the above happens in the opening chapters of the book so I have not really given any ‘spoilers’. The rest of the book is a deeply moving story about how society treats people, about how society tends to turn away from things it doesn’t want to see. It deals with PTSD and with how it can affect people and we don’t even seem to notice. I will not tell you any more about the storyline whether D.J. or Angela comes out of this the winner because it’s not a case of either or because if Angel wins then so do D.J. and Taylor.
I found myself unable to stop listening to this book, the storyline was so very well done and although I found myself moved to tears on more than one occasion I also found myself feeling very angry as well. The subject matter is very dark but the way the author has dealt with it is very good. The research done must have been immense. At the end of the book we are given some very shocking statistics which left me feeling so very sad for the fate of humanity.
This book was gifted to me and this review reflects my own personal opinion and is written
voluntarily.