I really like the way Koomson structures The Rose Petal Beach. There are multiple first person narrators including Tamia, Tamia’s friend Bridget and Fleur, the daughter of her other friend Mirabelle. I’m not usually a fan of multiple person points of view by Koomson makes it work. She makes it clear who is narrating each chapter so I didn’t find this confusing as I have with other novels I’ve read in this style. I liked the fact each narrator had a distinctive voice and after a while I knew who was telling the story without any pointers from Koomson. I think using multiple first person narrators helped to build tension and suspense.I love the concept behind The Rose Petal Beach. It’s a very complex psychological thriller. It’s one of those novels that has a lot of twists and turns. There are many layers to the storyline. Each time you pull back a layer you find three more. The Rose Petal Beach starts off being about a woman whose husband is accused of attempted rape – and then her husband claims they were having an affair and the accusation is her revenge because he dumped her – and then the woman is murdered – and then – you know where I’m going with this. At page 450+ I still had no idea what was really going on. I was impressed by the way Koomson handled this. I hate it when I can second guess where an author is leading me. I like to be dragged down the garden path many times until I become lost in the jungle.I think this characterisation is great in The Rose Petal Beach. All of them felt very real. I could sympathise with all of the women especially Tamia. In order to enjoy a novel I really need to get on board with a character. This can be someone I can relate to or a nasty character I want to be brought down a peg or two. The reason I hated Westwood by Stella Gibbons I read recently is because I didn’t have a connection with the characters. Koomson is spot on. I felt Tamia’s dismay, hurt and rage as her world fell apart. I wanted to give Scott a kick up the arse. I wanted Bridget to wake up and realise what a shit Scott was.I like the way Koomson explores the complexity of relationships in The Rose Petal Beach. Scott and Tamia’s relationship was the most complex of all. They had known each other since they were kids and been married for a long time. Tamia is forced to take a long hard look at their life when Scott is arrested and doesn’t like what she sees. She discovers the man she’s known for most of her life is a stranger. He tried to rape her best friend. He likes to watch rape porn. He had an affair with another friend. He’s cheated on her multiple times. I felt all of the relationships were complex and realistic.I had no idea who Mirabelle’s killer was until Tamia goes to confront her. I thought it was Bridget, the friend of Tamia’s he actually had an affair with. I was gob-smacked when I found out who it was. Kudos to Koomson for managing to surprise me. It doesn’t happen very often.I like the fact Koomson explores homosexuality in The Rose Petal Beach. That doesn’t happen very often in popular fiction by heterosexual writers. Mirabelle is a lesbian. The killer is her lover driven to commit a terrible crime by fear and misunderstanding. As a lesbian myself I could really relate to both of these characters.I thought the title was perfect. From the author of The Ice-Cream Girls I enjoyed this book just as much, if not more. Its the story of Tamia Challey whose husband is arrested for a hideous crime and her best friend is the accuser. Her life starts to unravel as she discovers that everyone she trusted has been lying to her. I loved the way it was told by several different characters but centres around Tamia's life. It was heartbreaking at times when she starts to discover the truth and realise some of her closest relationships aren't what she thought they were. Some emotional conversations that seeped into my dreams to make me just as paranoid as her! Highly recommended.
Keeps you guessing, really blurs the lines between good and bad... Loved it
—hiba
Had to force myself to read on as I got through the middle of the book.
—hirve
Not bad,lots of layers, romance,murder, but a tad too long,,
—Donna
Great as her books usually are!
—hubbabubba_yum
