Anything You Do Say

First sentence: It starts with a selfie. He is a random; we are not even sure of his name. We are always meeting them whenever we go out. Laura says it's because I look friendly. I think it's because I am always daydreaming, making up lives for people as I stare at them, and they think I'm inviting them over to chat.

Premise/plot: Joanna Oliva has a choice to make--a big one. She's been followed home from the bar--or she thinks she has. Someone is in pursuit, she can hear his steady footsteps, getting closer, closer. What happens next is quick, fast, and life-changing. He falls--she pushes? Should she flee the scene? stay and help? Report the crime? Or try to cover it up? The novel alternates between her choice(s). One set of chapters is show more the 'reveal'--what happens when she reports the accident. The other set of chapters is the 'conceal'--what happens when she flees the scene and does not tell anyone about the accident. The facts do differ in the two stories--a bit. Because her choice will have consequences on the guy in question...

The book is told in first person narrative. The readers get to know Joanna's friends and family through both choices...

My thoughts: It is compelling without a doubt. I had to keep reading to figure out which choice--if either--was better or better for her. I don't know that the ending was ultimately satisfying to me. (The two choices lead to the exact same ending as the two Joanna's merge, if you will). But if you are looking for a book that's hard to put down to read in a single weekend, or perhaps even a single sitting, this one may satisfy. It is set in the UK. It's format is unique, I think. show less

This is maybe my fourth attempt at writing a review of Gillian McAllister’s new book, The Choice, and I hope that I can finally find the words to describe what I absolutely LOVED about the book and what about it was a miss for me.

First of all, this is two books in one, a five star and a three star, so I’m compromising on four stars. Let’s start with the storyline which although it travels in two directions is not why I felt like this was two books in one.

Married MC, Joanna (Jo), meets BF, Laura, after work, for their weekly girls’ night out – this time at a London pub/club. The place is packed, and an Obnoxious Man is hitting on Jo, who is uncomfortable but trying not to cause a scene. Since Jo is not kicking up a fuss, OM show more takes advantage and continues to harass and rub up against her rudely until the two BFs decide it’s time to go and leave pub/club, each going in their own respective direction. It was rainy. Jo begins to sense that she is being followed and starts to panic; she believes the OM has followed her from the club. Scared, she calls home and tells goodie-two-shoes hubby that she thinks someone is following her; he remains on the line to provide her with some sense of security as she rushes home. Suddenly Jo hears the man running up close behind her as she enters the Underground and she pushes him, whereupon he goes tumbling down the stairs falling unconscious, face down into a puddle.

Panic sets in…what to do? Should she call 911 (or the UK equivalent) or should she flee for her life. She takes another look, and, noticing that the man is lying unconscious with his face in a puddle she realizes that he will die if he is not rolled over. What to do? She’s terrified, she hems and haws, she worries about what her husband will think of her if she does not call the police and if she does not render assistance, in one scenario, while in another scenario she realizes that the man she pushed was not OM and she is afraid she will be arrested unless she flees the scene. And that’s what she does: BOTH! In one version she rings off Saint Hubby not telling him what occurred, in the other she summons the police. For the rest of the novel the author takes us in both possible directions – Conceal / Reveal – fleeing the scene and not telling anyone what happened (knowing that if Saint Hubby learns about what happened he will certainly judge her harshly) / get the police out there and tell them what happened (in which case she doubts that Saint Hubby will stand by her side and support her to the end).

As if the universe splits open, the story travels in two directions showing us what happens to Jo over the next two and a half years on each of those paths. This is the storyline – this is book one.

Book two starts about mid-way through the novel and two and a half years later. This time it is the author who changes directions and dons a completely different mantle.

For the first half of the book KM shows no mercy as she deftly, sadistically, maliciously, claustrophobically, and DELICIOUSLY, pokes and prods Jo, sending her reeling like a silver pinball pinging and bumping her way into oblivion. Jo simply cannot get a break no matter which direction she follows. She keeps wildly slamming those flippers but cannot keep from dropping the ball. When Jo reveals and is accused of murder, Saint Hubby pulls away. When she holds back and conceals, she pushes him away for fear he will see through her. Discovery lurks behind every corner; an elephant is sitting on her chest. She is living with guilt and every setback leaves the blood pounding in your ears like a Tell-Tale Heart. She is a complete train wreck. This was so well done, absolutely 5+ stars.

Then, suddenly, everything screeches to a halt. Jo jumps off the train, takes control of her life, and we move into book two. Here, as we continue with both storylines, she is completely laid back, introspective, accepting of the fates that befell her. The change is so dramatic, it feels as if the author lost interest in her character or stopped having fun. The second half of the book felt a little like a lengthy epilogue.

Many thank to Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. show less

Oh wow! What Gillian McAllister has created here is nothing short of exceptional - two novels in one in only her second book! I'm sure many an established author would shy away from such a challenge with the others wishing they had written it.

If I had to describe Joanna in one word it would be 'imaginative', so when she hears footsteps behind her after a night out she thinks it is the man she spurned in the bar. As the footsteps get closer, Joanna reaches out and pushes her would-be attacker down the steps she is about to descend. His momentum propels him forward at speed and he lies bent and broken at the bottom of the steps. In that split second, Joanna must decide whether to run or call for help. In a rare treat for readers, Gillian show more McAllister shows us the journey down both paths that Joanna will follow if she reveals or conceals her crime.

I thought it might get confusing with alternate 'reveal' and 'conceal' chapters but it really doesn't. In conceal, Joanna is eaten up with guilt and her lie snowballs out of control and threatens to crush her under its weight like the boulder chasing Indiana Jones through the tunnel. Even when Joanna reveals her crime she still can't help getting tangled up in a web of lies and her whole defence revolves around the one thing she is lying about: how long she hesitated before raising the alarm.

I do firmly believe that we have particular paths we are destined to follow in our lives. Even though sometimes there may be a fork in the road or roadworks causing a diversion, we ultimately get back on the path we should be on. Joanna's journey is just like this as whichever path she follows, reveal and conceal will merge together at the end but will leave very different casualties in their wake.

Anything You Do Say is such a thought-provoking and hugely entertaining book. At her fork in the road, I felt Joanna's fear and truly believed that she was afraid for her life so I can completely understand why she lashed out like she did. It's easy to say that you would rush to help an injured person, but would you be in such a rush if you thought that person meant to do you harm and may still be a danger to you? It's hard to say how you would react in such circumstances; with that spike of adrenaline and a thudding heartbeat in your ears, what would you do? This is the question that I'm sure every single reader of Anything You Do Say will ponder for many days, weeks, months and even years after reading this outstanding novel.

Oh you've upped the ante now, Gillian McAllister! I'm not sure how you plan to follow this but I can't wait to find out. You had me hooked with Everything But The Truth but Anything You Do Say is so extraordinary that it completely blew me away. This book is going to be a HUGE success so make sure you pick up a copy and see what everyone is raving about.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. show less

The whole premise of Gillian McAllister’s The Choice is a clever one – and the book has caught the attention of prominent book-related publications such as the New York Times Book Review – so I expected big things when I picked it up. But that’s not really what happened.

The plot, admittedly, really is clever. In her panic, a young woman mistakenly pushes what she assumes to be a male accoster running her down from behind the instant he makes contact with her. The man, largely carried by his own momentum, takes a header down seven steps, and the woman hardly has time to take another breath before she is looking down at an unconscious man, a man who now hardly seems to be breathing. So now what does she do? “The choice” is show more hers and hers alone to make.

Does she simply turn and run, assuming that since it’s near midnight and no one is around, she can just go home and pretend none of this happened? Or does she dial 999 (this is London), confess what she’s done, and get the man the medical attention he seems so desperately to need? This is where McAllister makes a good decision. Rather than limit Joanna, the narrator, to a simple binary choice, the author allows her to make and experience both of them. For the rest of The Choice, via alternating chapters that are synced to the same chronological progress of time, the reader follows along as one Joanna calls 999 for help and the “other” Joanna runs away and tries to blend back in with her ordinary life.

Interestingly, as the months pass ever so slowly for the two Joannas, they suffer in very similar – and very different - ways, but they both suffer. The most unexpected consequences of Joanna’s decision, either way, are how those closest to her are affected. The lives of her best friend, her husband, her brother, and her boss are all very differently lived out depending on which way Joanna goes with calling or not calling for help.

Bottom Line: The Choice is based on an interesting premise, but the slow pacing of the novel and its limited action make for a bit of a disappointment to those hoping for, and expecting, more from the story. Joanna is not a particularly appealing character in the first place, and her prig of a husband is irritating in both versions of himself. Not unexpectedly, the victim turns out to be one of the only truly sympathetic characters in the novel, and I can’t help but wonder how much more interesting it may have been if he had turned out to be less of an innocent than he is portrayed as here. The Choice is not at all a bad book, but it’s nothing really special either. show less

In The Choice, by Gillian McAllister, both the protagonist and the reader are given the type of split second decision that can't be predicted, no matter how much we may wish otherwise.

What I mean, and what the story shows, is that no matter what we 'know' we would do in any given situation we can't know for sure until it happens. The drama in this story is looking at possible outcomes for either decision. As we read, we think about what we would (maybe) do, then we see what could result.

The "sliding door" style worked for me because it kept me thinking about not only what she had or had not done but what I might as well. That said, I can see where not having complete uninterrupted narratives might annoy some readers. For how I show more approached the book, the form worked well. For those who simply want a story with distinguishable beginning, middle, and end may find it doesn't work for them.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via Edelweiss. show less

I received the digital arc of this book from Edelweiss and publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.

First of all, I would recommend this book so don’t let my 3-star rating dissuade you from reading. My rating is influenced by the manner in which the sliding door technique was used in this story. I found that switching back and forth for each chapter was confusing. Maybe it would have worked better if larger portions of the story were told before switching from Reveal to Conceal. Again, the premise is the same so all the extraneous details only added distraction while trying to determine if I was reading Reveal or Conceal.

Joanna Olivia is enjoying some drink and laughs with her hippie artist friend Laura one night. During the show more course of the evening they entertain an aggressive stranger, Sadiq Ul-Haq, by taking selfies with him. Unfortunately, Joanna’s timid and self-effacing personality only encourages Sadiq to pursue her even after they change seats.

After the two friends call it a night, Joanna begins to walk home alone with the memories of Sadiq’s harassment still on her mind. Her main coping strategy all her life has been denial so she tries to convince herself that she is not being followed. Eventually, her anxiety overwhelms her as she senses a male behind her and quickly turns and pushes the person down the stones steps.

Appalled at her own behavior she becomes perplexed as to what to do. She slowly descends the stairs and notices the man is injured and in need of immediate care. From this point, the book alternates chapters between Reveal and Conceal which describes the two scenarios with which she is given: call for help or walk away.

Ultimately, whichever decision she chooses only serves to isolates her from her family and friends. Her guilt and feelings of remorse start to erode her mind and spirit as she feels she can’t risk telling anyone the “complete” truth. At times she starts to question the truth herself as she realizes there is no easy way out. In the end she if forced to reevaluate herself in a way she never had.

I always tell my kids, if you choose the behavior and decision then you are choosing the consequences. show less

When Jo believes she is followed home from a bar, she pushes a man away from her. He falls and is unconscious. Now Jo has to make a choice, does she reveal or conceal what happened? This book is cleverly written to show what Jo's life would be if she follows each path, and how it affects her, and the lives of her husband and friends. It is an interesting concept to write the same story based on making one choice or another.