Unsettling thriller set in the LAKE DISTRICT

2nd February 2024

One Day by Abigail Dean, unsettling thriller set in the Lake District.

The author’s first novel – Girl A – remained with me for a long time after I read it. The author chose a tricky subject then and continues in similar vein with her the subject of choice in this, her latest novel. She looks at the aftermath of a shooting in a small primary school in the Lake District.

This is a tiny town that feels like a very regular place and nothing untoward ever really happens. Until now. During an introduction being given to the new in-take of pupils next term, all hell is let loose.

When something this shocking has taken place, the whole community is affected. The aftermath ripples through from those were directly involved in the incident, to others who need to be in place to pick up the pieces and to those who sought more involvement than perhaps was their due. The author explores the personal experiences of a couple of specific people involved and examines the reliability of memory as the days pass, and delves into the motivations of some of those directly and indirectly involved. This is a well told story with a strong narrative of different points of view.

Inevitably the whole devastating story is hijacked by conspiracy theorists who promulgate the notion that this was all a hoax. This we have seen, of course, in the Sandy Hook massacre but the perpetrator there behind those lies has now been  fined a record breaking sum of money for spreading his heinous misinformation and causing so much harm.

There is much in this novel about reflexive memory contrasted with wilful fabrication, which makes for an interesting exploration.

This is a well written, at times slightly ponderous story, that tackles a very difficult subject in a thoughtful and interesting way.

The novel is set in the Lake District but perhaps the backdrop is more about small town dynamics than setting.

Tina for the TripFiction Team

Catch the author on Twitter X @abigailsdean

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