What You Did

Product Information

What You Did" by Claire McGowan follows the story of a group of university friends who are reuniting after 20 years. University boyfriend and girlfriend and now well-off married couple Ali and Mike are hosting the reunion dinner in the beautiful family home they share with their son and daughter and Ali can't wait to show off her perfect life to her old friends - particularly her one-time best friend Karen. Amidst all the partying and drinking, Ali's best friend Karen stumbles inside from the garden accusing Mike of sexually assaulting her. Mike denies the accusation but Karen does not relent. Ali does not know who to believe – Is her husband capable of committing such a heinous crime? Is her best friend capable of telling such an improbable lie? This follows 43-year Ali, who is the quintessential suburban housewife. She's married to her university boyfriend, Mike, who is a corporate lawyer, and they are parents to 15-year old Cassie and 10-year Benji. One night they are hosting a celebration dinner with their Oxford University friends to mark their 25th anniversary. We meet Callum and Jodi, who are trying for IVF are finally having their first baby; Benji, who's broken up with his Swedish girlfriend and still holds a soft spot for Ali; and Karen, who didn't graduate and is mother to 18-year old Jake. Their friends are staying over for the weekend. It was supposed to be the perfect get-together. Until Ali wakes up in the middle of the night and comes downstairs to find Karen bleeding and covered in bruises. She's been raped...by Ali's husband, Mike. Who will Ali believe?... The story is of course fictional but sometime as readers we tend to search for some sort of connect with reality even in a novel. We are unable to associate or empathize with the characters as they are all too self obsessed. The quality of writing is superior but the plot fails to impress, with more complexities woven in the plot than what is necessary

Ali is pulled in both directions, wanting to believe both her husband and her best friend. She is at crossroads with herself especially when she is the one dealing with such cases daily at her workplace.For Helen and George, the remote fixer-upper in Cornwall was supposed to be a dream home, and a way to leave behind the problems they’re both running from. But something about the place feels wrong from day one. And why does Helen have a creeping feeling she’s seen this house before? I'm not sure where to start with this one. I feel like I should get a few start for being able to finish it. The protagonist is one of the most unlikable characters I've ever read about in a book. That in and of itself is not the problem - the problem is that I don't think it was the author's intent. As her family and best friend go through the unthinkable, she worries about her beautiful home and her beautiful things, and that's just a start.

DS Alison Hegarty, herself struggling with infertility, is called in to investigate. She’s convinced the fall was not an accident, and finds the new parents have a lot to hide. Wealthy Ed and Monica show off their newborn while their teenage daughter is kept under virtual house arrest. Hazel and Cathy conceived their longed-for baby via an anonymous sperm donor―or so Hazel thinks. When old college friends get together for a night of dinner and reminiscing, it was supposed to be a reunion, to catch up and relive old memories. Although we see the story mainly from Ali’s viewpoint, the lasting, devastating effect on Karen isn’t downplayed either. Then there are the other, secondary victims - Karen’s teenage son, Ali’s son and daughter, who are affected in different ways.and future forensic psychologist Paula Maguire is still in school, being taunted by bullies. In particular one girl, whose family has paramilitary links, is calling her a rat. Even though Paula might not know why her mother went missing five years before, she's sure she's no traitor's daughter. Recommended: It wasn't for me, maybe it is for you. I see that some found it to be a delightful read. Maybe, you would too.

So we have 6 friends, 2 of which are married couples (Ali and Mike; Jodi and Callum), the other 2 still single (Karen – who’s remained Jodi’s close friend – and Bill), together with a combination of 2 complicated teenagers and 1 younger child. It really is a recipe for disaster. They’re having a reunion at the home of Ali and Mike who finally seem to have reached the pinnacle of success with a beautiful home and enviable positions in their community. But right from the start I had the feeling that something was a bit ‘off’. Why was Ali so very over-anxious for everything to look so perfect and in-place? If these were such old, dear friends would they care what room she put them in, or if a napkin was the wrong colour?

Featured Reviews

Ali Morris is anxiously putting the finishing touches on her home as she and her husband, Mike prepare for weekend guests – the small group of friends they had from their days at the university in Oxford. It’s been years since they’ve seen one another, and Ali wants things to be just right. At first, it was hard to Ali; I know women like her, who would turn a blind eye to any transgression a spouse has done as long as she is able to live in her plastic delusional bubble that her family is fine; that nothing is wrong with anyone and anything.

I have read other books by this author and was not disappointed. I'm hoping this one was just an anomaly. I will be happy to read her future books. The setting is a familiar one, where old friends gather after some times apart, secrets are revealed, repressed anger or passions come alive once again and trouble is brewing on the horizon. What ensues is a twisting tale full of secrets and lies as we learn that all the characters have been hiding things, including the children.I really enjoyed this book. It was clever without being hard work. As with most psychological thrillers the truth is not what it first appears to be, in fact there are multiple truths uncovered as the story unfolds, some of which are life ruining and others life changing.