Review - Whatever You Love - Louise Doughty

Whatever You Love by Louise Doughty
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

"I study the photo in the same way that a spy might study the face of a counterpart in a rival organization. I am calm as I make this promise: I am going to find out what you love, then whatever it is, I am going to track it down and I am going to take it away from you."

After the death of Laura's nine-year-old daughter, Betty, is ruled an accident in a hit-and-run, Laura decides to take revenge into her own hands, determined to track down the man responsible. All the while, her inner turmoil is reopening the old wounds of her passionate love affair with Betty's father, David, and his abandonment of the family for another woman.

Haunted by her past and driven to a breaking point by her thirst for retribution, Laura discovers the unforeseen lengths she is willing to go to for love and vengeance.

The blurb on the book suggests this is going to be a thriller but I wouldn't class it as that. It's written before and after the tragic death of Laura's 9-year-old daughter Betty. It's quite a dark, harrowing story and it is well written but, it goes off the rails a bit, and the revenge promised doesn't take the form you'd expect. It's not even clear what actually happens. There are some graphic sex scenes in there, one which stretches the imagination a big step too far. And as for the epilogue, really it should be classed as a prologue.

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