Erin Kelly quickly became one of my favorite authors as soon as I turned the final page of The Burning Air. And although critically-acclaimed, I did not enjoy The Poison Tree but chose to let that one slide, and she remains one author of whom I will return to their shelf time and time again.
But Kelly also ruined me.
After The Burning Air literally made me exclaim, "Holy fuck!" out loud and on every social media platform I use, I find very little in the literary world that shocks and surprises me. And if we're being honest without being big-headed, my brain has been thus trained to pick up and store every detail, and to recognize patters not only within the story but the structure of the plot. For instance, have you ever noticed that character outliers end up playing bigger roles than they appear? But although I don't find a lot of plot twists too shocking, or I can see them coming a mile away, Kelly and her twisted tails never cease to entertain and amaze me.
Kit, an Eclipse Chaser since conception, and his love, Laura, stumble upon a deeply disturbing act in the ending moments of an eclipse in 1999. Though simple bystanders who, both luckily and unluckily, happen upon this moment, Kit and Laura's lives are forever set upon a crash course of guilt, lies, deception, and devotion. Kelly weaves an intricate and clever slow burn that is riddled with mystery and in a constant state of intrigue and suspense. Extremely well-written and thoughtfully organized, Kelly creates great connection to characters, empathy for their emotions, and clear justification for their actions, and is a master at pulling your attention in one direction while deftly working in the other. She expertly deconstructs the pitfalls of our human instinct to protect ourselves and our homes, and our misguided attempts at convincing ourselves that even just one lie, no matter how small, will prevent the world from tipping on its side. The story Kelly has (re)told is timeless, but hers is clever, witty, gritty, and remarkably relevant.
It can't go unnoticed the extreme parallels of this book, published in 2017, presumably at the height of the #MeToo Movement, and current events. Though stories of this nature - both true and for the purpose of entertainment - are as old as the written word, the details - as Kelly expertly conveys - also haven't changed. Kelly vividly re-creates the heartbreaking world we live in, where judgements are misplaced, we throw money at problems to make them go away, and the slanting deceptions we create for ourselves. He Said/She Said is a haunting examination of our own trustworthiness and of those closest to us, and an unfortunate reminder that no one is to be trusted; maybe - especially - not even ourselves.
Though devoid of an actual bombshell moment for me personally, He Said/She Said by Erin Kelly is a compelling, thoughtful, mysterious read that you will no doubt feel the pull to see how it finally ends. Me, I can't wait to see what Ms. Kelly throws at me next...
