Behind closed doors!

Anita Shreve's Testimony
Published 2009 by Abacus
Drama

Told from the perspective of those involved, Testimony tells the story of an incident that occurred at a private boarding school, Avery Academy, and how the lives of those involved changed forever. The incident seems to have had a tremendous impact on so many characters who were either directly or indirectly involved.
The novel flits between past and present a bit too often which gets rather complicated but having each chapter written from the point of view of each character, each telling their own individual tale of the part they played in the affair and how it has changed their life in the present, is a great feature that helps the flow of the novel. Each character talks to the reader as though we are a reporter trying to interview them as they are very factual and matter-of-fact about it. Sometimes they almost feel like they see the reader as a friend or confidante; someone they can trust and who they are opening up to and telling all. The language and style of the novel is very similar to a police report or interview but it is crisp and to the point. It is very easy to read and an engrossing page turner.
Not only does the text describe what happened and how but it also provides testimonies, confessions and statements from the students involved. Although the initial event is horrific and graphic, nothing prepares the reader for the despair and colossal destruction that comes about afterwards. There is so much pain and remorse in this book. For once there is no happy ending, it simply ends with one student recounting the event and providing us with all the missing pieces of this puzzle.