False Witness: Book Review

I just finished reading False Witness, by Karin Slaughter. This is a psychological thriller novel along the same vein as Gillian Flynn. It stars two female leads who are sisters with a dark shared secret between them that threatens to blow wide open after someone unexpected comes back into their lives. Like Flynn (and Jewel), this story is incredibly character driven, with much of the time spent going over the backstories of the two characters, and much of the plot centered on how the two sisters react to the provocations of the central threat.

I think this story was one of the better psychological thriller novels that I have read. I especially like the focus on the characters, the woman's perspective (both the characters and the author), and the way the story progressed. And the realism that was acquired by bringing the pandemic into the story was also a nice touch.

As usual for thrillers, I will only do a spoiler section, as these stories are best read going in blind. Just know that its got some nasty bits. Karin Slaughter reportedly doesn't pull her punches with violence and depravity, and this first book of hers that I've read fits that quite neatly.

Overall, I enjoyed the read, so I will give it an 8/10.

Overall (Spoilers)

I mentioned before that the characters are what drive the story, and this is also the best part of the book.

Leigh is the older sister, tough as nails, and a lawyer, someone who managed to claw her way out of a horrible, impoverished existence to make a life for herself. She has a wonderful teenage daughter, a loving father to that daughter, and while she is divorcing the father, the split is on good terms. But what really defines her is the guilt about her past with her sister. Leigh had been molested by Buddy, an older man they were babysitting for, and when her traumatized mind had blocked out the memory, she inadvertently put her younger sister into the clutches of the man, who was then groomed and repeatedly raped. Now, with her younger sister left a junkie, and completely ravaged physically, Leigh remains devoted to her despite her sister's bad behavior.

One part that I especially liked that relates to her character is when she tells Walt about what had happened with Buddy, and he realizes that Maddy, their daughter, is in danger. What we see, then, is Leigh realize a major mental block in her thinking. Basically, she never considered the possibility that Maddy might be dragged into the fight because of some psychological block that made her think that this was all personal. I particularly like these parts of the story, because it highlights the fallible nature of our psychology, and how we can have these irrational mental blocks that just slip by the wayside until we are forced to confront them.

Callie is a much more complicated character, and much more tragic. She was the victim of repeated sexual abuse, something that left her pleading for the life of her abuser after she is forced to cut open his leg in an altercation. She later broke her neck in a cheerleading accident and then acquired a heroin addiction because of all the pain. She is now unable to break the addiction, is rail thin, and is permanently scarred. She is also a massive burden on her sister, both in terms of guilt and responsibility, the former because of what I mentioned above, the latter because of multiple failed rehab trips Leigh had funded.

And it's also worth mentioning that Maddy, Leigh's daughter, is actually Callie's daughter. Callie had left her with them after getting pregnant, and Leigh and Walter (her husband) had taken the girl in to raise her, viewing the girl as a gift. This twist humanizes Callie and highlights the connection between the sisters.

Another thing about Callie was the funny names that she would give to all the animals she worked with (as well as her relationship with the Doctor (I can't remember his name)). I listened to the audiobook, so I don't know remember any of the pet names either, lol. Regardless, this seemingly trivial thing does a lot to make the character relatable and likeable.

Another thing that I liked was the scene where Walter and Leigh kidnapped and even tortured Reggie(?) (I honestly suck with names, haha), and there they finally pieced together Andrew's plan. Realizing that Reggie(?) was not actually his accomplice, but his patsy was chilling. It's an interesting plot twist, and it also builds the threat that Andrew represents by showing how he has planned everything up to that point.

I thought that Andrew was a compelling villain. In the beginning, he comes across as a desperate but cunning psychopath, someone who is about to be destroyed, but is throwing a Hail Mary to try to save himself. But as the story progresses, he becomes more formidable, with the scene mentioned in the last paragraph being that culmination. And he was also fallible. He would make mistakes and miscalculate, but he was still a threat. This balance between competence and fallibility made his character all the more compelling.

The final confrontation between Andrew and Callie was also enjoyable. It wasn't explosive, but I was satisfied by the end. The manner in which Callie took him down, by taking advantage of his psychopathic desire to hurt people, and her own drug addiction, was based in character in the most perfect way possible. And Callie's death was cathartic after such a long life of pain and suffering.

There really wasn't anything in the story that I found to be objectionable, at least in terms of the writing. There a few politically charged elements in it regarding gender politics that made me raise my eyebrows, but that is expected from these kinds of novels. And it's trivial besides. Just mentions of "mansplaining," apologizing for the sexualization of teens, and accusations of sexism that left me wondering where the sexism was, even in Slaughter's portrayal. And all of this assumes that this isn't just writing from a perspective, which I would reserve the right to do as a writer.

Another related thing is that this story is not overtly political in a cartoonish way, even though it touches upon those issues. Even when Slaughter wrote the story about male abuse of women, she had a female character take part in the abuse, as well, showing that this isn't just a one-sided thing. And there is a scene where Leigh reacts negatively to a man talking with a rape victim after the assault; apparently his being a man could be traumatizing. But then the book shows the man approach the issue in expert fashion. Slaughter was not as one-sided as she could be.

Conclusion

I went into writing this review thinking that I would give this a 7/10, but I think I will raise it to an 8/10.