And how does the jury find?

Author : Sarah Vaughan
Title : Anatomy Of A Scandal
Published : 11/01/2018
Pages : 400
Genre : Mystery / Thriller / Legal
 Publisher : Simon & Schuster UK





     Anatomy of a Scandal centres on a high-profile marriage that begins to unravel when the husband is accused of a terrible crime. Sophie is sure her husband, James, is innocent and desperately hopes to protect her precious family from the lies which might ruin them. Kate is the barrister who will prosecute the case – she is equally certain that James is guilty and determined he will pay for his crimes.

  
    Recently I have read a few books that deal with rape and the effects it has on a persons life. This, however, is the first one I have come across where the premise sets up more of a question about the guilt of the people involved. Would this ask a lot more of me as a reader to try and work my way through the evidence of the case to find who is guilty?

     With this book, the author has given us a very hard story to read. But I don't mean that in the sense it is badly written or a poorly plotted. It is far more to do with the subject matter at hand, made all the more relevant by the continues string of headlines on the news and in papers over the past year.  The story is separated between the present day and events that take place in nineteen ninety-three.  It allowed me to gain context for who some of the players are behind the masks they show to the world.

     With the bulk of the story taking place in the court room it was a steps that I think added real depth to my reading of this book. I got to witness both the defence counsel and the prosecution give there side of events that took place. The author manages to make both opposing councils augments come across as a reasonable and logical series of steps for what took place. In doing this I think more than ever it allows the reader to become the jury, And ultimately it will properly say a lot about the reader as to whether you feel James is guilty of the crime he is accused of during the early parts of the book.
   
     In my case, in the run-up to the truth being revealed, I was left feeling a lot of anger at how the defence treated the victim. The questions that are asked of her are ones that seem barbaric and in a lot of ways designed to break her down to the point where she would rather walk away. Although I know that the questions posed in this story are in some ways tame in comparison with the ones asked of victims in a real court. Having been told what was asked of someone I know it would send anyone into a rage.

     By the time I reach the verdict I had to stop myself from skipping down the page to see what the jury's final verdict would be.  I can't ever remember doing this with any other book I have read.  The author writes such tension into the story that I could feel my hold body tightening up through these paragraphs. This is a story that does an amazing job of drawing out raw emotions but it is done in such a way that makes it all seem very real. 

     While the perspective we receive this story in does move between James wife and that of barrister prosecuting him the are two noticeable absences. We never get to see what takes place from the victim's point of view. And in a lot of ways, this bolster the way I perceived events. Had I been able to see this a lot of the elements that make this such a great read would have fallen by the wayside. And in the case of James we only one get a chapter that is told from his point of view and this is more a way of showing a sign of his character than anything else.

     As a legal thriller, this works to amazing effect. It brings together so many elements that kept me gripped to the pages that I didn't want to put it down. It also shows the one word that hangs above cases of this nature more than any other doubt. It is one of the few times in legal cases when a victim is so heavily burdened with having to prove what happened. It's not like if someone burns down your house you have to prove you didn't ask them to do it. This book took a lot out of me and all I can say is that at least by the time  I got to the end I knew what had really happened. I think if the author had left it up in the air I might just have lost my tiny mind. This is a book that questions how our world views rape and also how we see those in positions of power.

     If you are looking for a book that not only is a thriller that will take you to a very visceral and poignant journey but also adds a good deal of mystery it's worth picking a copy up.