Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon

4.5 Stars

This is a claustrophobic book that draws you in to the world's of Alex, Amy and Jason and does not want to let you go.  It explores the nature of relationships, the nature of addiction and the choices that we make; more importantly the things that we keep to ourselves and the power those secrets wield.

Amy is the linking factor here - before she was brutally attacked at the age of 15 she was Jason's girlfriend and seemed to have everything going for her.  Jason has never been able to let her go and even though she is in a Persistent Vegetative State her doctors believe that she is still in the shell of her body and trying to communicate (the science behind this is strong with compelling evidence that PVS patients are still trying to communicate with their surroundings) and Jason is still visiting her despite being a married man with a pregnant wife. 

Alex blew her marriage and her career as she descended into alcoholism.  Even now her life is governed by that countdown to a 12Noon drink.  When researching an article on PVS for a commissioned journalism piece she stumbles across Amy on the Bramble Ward and becomes fascinated by her case.  As Alex's obsession with what happened to Amy takes hold she starts to reassess her own life and get to grips with her demons.

I thought I knew who Amy's attacker was and rather foolishly followed the bread crumb trail laid by the author.  BIG mistake as there are multiple mis-directions in there and I was rather surprised when the attacker is unmasked and his history comes out.  I was kicking myself as the clues and hints were there but I chose to go down the "obvious" route.

Superbly constructed plot that builds and dissipates tension in just the right balance to keep you reading.  The characters are truly complex and have a complete believability to them, even when they are behaving in rather selfish and despicable ways it doesn't feel overdone; it just feels like human nature and human selfishness.