Emily is on holiday with her best friend, Kristen, in the stunning mountains of Chile. They're having the time of their lives until, on the last night of the trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find it covered in blood. Kristen claims a backpacker attacked her. She shouted, but no-one heard. She struggled, but he was too strong. She had no option but to kill him.
With no evidence of the assault, Emily must help her hide the body. Back home, Emily tries to forget what happened, but a surprise visit from Kristen forces her to confront the events of that night. As the walls close in on their cover-up, Emily asks herself: can she really trust her closest friend?
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz was published August 2021 by Ballantine Books.
This was an upcoming title I picked for our book club at the library. It appeared to have a lot of positive reviews on its release.
I found myself quickly pulled into this story of two friends, their past history spooning out as each chapter moved along. I could see some interesting elements cropping up ("who doesn't love getting away with things?", no photos). The title quickly made sense. Several odd moments and pieces of dialogue early on kept my senses on high-alert for a twist.
There are several elements I wrestle with from this story. Do I trust Emily as a narrator? Was Kristen fully the bad influence? We often learn things are not always as they seemed or were presented. Then there is that final page.
In the end, I will be very curious to see how my discussion group feels about the book. If nothing else, it will make for a lively hour of talk next month.
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