#BlogTour ‘Don’t Turn Around’ by Jessica Barry

About the book…

‘A novel like razor-wire…part chase thriller, part psychological suspense’ AJ Finn, author of #1 bestseller The Woman in the Window

TWO STRANGERS. DANGEROUS SECRETS. THEIR ONLY CHANCE IS EACH OTHER.

Cait’s job is to transport women to safety. Out of respect, she never asks any questions. Like most of the women, Rebecca is trying to escape something.

But what if Rebecca’s secrets put them both in danger? There’s a reason Cait chooses to keep on the road, helping strangers. She has a past of her own, and knows what it’s like to be followed.

And there is someone right behind them, watching their every move…

*Named one of the New York Times top 10 crime novels of 2020*

Published in paperback today, I am thrilled to be bringing you my review of the rather fabulous,‘Don’t Turn Around’ by Jessica Barry

Huge thanks to Graeme Williams for inviting me on the tour, and Penguin Random House imprint, Vintage, for the review copy.

Wow. Where to begin?

Two women, with secrets that could prove deadly, are on the road trip of their lives.

So much more is at stake than either realises, as Cait picks Rebecca up in a non descript car, and they set off for New Mexico. What is waiting for them on the road, or at their destination’s end, is beyond the comprehension of either the women or the reader.

However, as the plot swaps between the circumstances that have led these women to this point in their lives, you quickly become aware that there is so much at stake.

Without writing any spoilers, what Jessica Barry does so brilliantly, is present the dilemmas and situations that a patriarchal, entitled society feels they can dictate to women. This extends from social and cultural influences, legal battles, the rights of self determination over reproduction and how to treat their own bodies.

The entitlement that men have over women’s physical, and mental health, the standards and expectations placed upon them to be the ‘good woman’, is exploited to the nth degree, Jessica places the situations that each woman is involved in, in front of the reader and leaves them to bring and apply the emotion to the storylines.

She is not exploitative in her handling of issues which are seeringly relevant in the 21st century, she introduces them naturally and in doing so, let’s us fill in the gaps with gasps of outrage and a sinking sense of finality that has us trapped in the car with Cait and Rebecca. As the miles slide by, each woman strips another layer off and reveals herself to be a person with agency, fight, and a voice that neither thought they posessed.

It’s a literal and metaphorical journey that ends with a finality and abruptness that makes you want to shout ‘Uh, back up, wait a minute, I want more!’ But on reflection, it lands at exactly the right point.

It’s a masterpiece in building tension, making you care about characters that you get to know as they open up to each other. It goes to dark places, and considers the following issues which some readers might find challenging to read about-pro-life campaigns, reproductive rights, termination of pregnancy, legal precedents, incels, sexual assault. They naturally are part of the woven tapestry which comprises this narrative, that affects women on a daily basis and if it doesn’t leave you with a burning desire to find out more on women’s equality(or lack thereof), then I would politely suggest reading it again.

About the author…

Jessica Barry is a pseudonym for an American author who grew up in a small town in Massachusetts and was raised on a steady diet of library books and PBS.

She attended Boston University, where she majored in English and Art History, before moving to London in 2004 to pursue an MA from University College London.

She lives with her husband, Simon, and their two cats, Roger Livesey and BoJack Horseman.

Twitter @jessbarryauthor @penguinrandom @gray_books