'When I Was Ten' by Fiona Cummins

'When I Was Ten' front cover

'When I Was Ten' by Fiona Cummins - ARC Review

*There are no spoilers in this review!*

A huge thank you to Net Galley and Pan Macmillan for letting me be lucky enough to be able to read an ARC of this book and review it for my blog!

Description:

Twenty-one years ago, Dr Richard Carter and his wife Pamela were murdered in what has become the most infamous double murder of the modern age. Ten-year-old Sara Carter - nicknamed the Angel of Death - spent eight years in a children's secure unit and is living quietly under an assumed name with a family of her own.

Now, on the anniversary of the trial, a documentary team has tracked down her older sister, Shannon Carter, compelling her to break two decades of silence. Her explosive interview sparks national headlines and journalist Brinley Booth, a childhood friend of the Carter sisters, is tasked with covering the news story.

For the first time, the three women are forced to confront what really happened on that blood-soaked night - with devastating consequences for them all.

Goodreads Rating: 4.3        My Rating: 4

First Impressions

When I first read the description for this book, I KNEW I had to read it! Along with the front cover, Fiona Cummins is able to paint a vague yet shocking picture of the events these three girls - two sisters Sara and Shannon, and their friend next door Brinley - experienced as children. Although you aren't fully aware of what specifically happened, you still have such a strong reaction to it! Would a child really do such a thing? What was happening behind the scenes? Who ARE these kids?

Straight away, you are thrown into the middle of action on the night of the murders, but it is unclear from whose perspective you are in! I think starting off with this little mystery really added to the tense atmosphere from the get-go and made me feel just as naive as the character: I had no idea what was going on or why anything was happening, but I was desperate to find out! Even though I found out who this character was soon after, it definitely opened up a can of worms since each character's perspective shared different insights into that night - who could be trusted? 

At first, I did think this book was very wordy since it had lots of descriptions and bounced between characters so it was harder to get into a good groove - but once I began to understand the way things were playing out and getting used to the writing style, I thought it flowed really, really well from one chapter to another. 

The Characters

Something Fiona does really well in this book is the character development. There are a variety of different roles that make up this story and, somehow, each one contrasts the others. Sure, there are similarities since they connect in some way, but their personalities and the way that they carry themselves is so unique! As a result, I could form a strong emotional connection to each character in some way through the different periods of time which ultimately made finishing the book so much harder. I wasn't ready to let them go!

The Truth

*Again, there aren't any spoilers here!*

In the beginning, I thought that things were moving a little bit slowly and struggled to realise when I was in another character's point of view. However, when the plot started to thicken I felt as though I had been strapped into a roller-coaster that was jam-packed with twists and turns! The events within the book are set within a number of days both in the past and in the present time, so I was always kept on my toes and thinking ''what's going to happen next?!'' without it being draining as a reader. Also, the book did not include any unnecessary information: everything had a purpose and was very carefully crafted by Fiona which I can't praise enough!

I definitely felt like I was going through this journey with the characters - ALL of them - so when the story begins to unwind, I became more and more engrossed. I must have repeated the phrase ''hang on a minute... WHAT?!'' at least fifty times, the unexpected revelations really caught me off guard! All in all, each little (and big) detail had been so meticulously created it was genuinely fascinating!

Final Thoughts 

Just when I thought it would be a gentle finish to the story, Fiona hits again with another jaw-dropper to top things off - not that I'm complaining! The ending was so fitting to the story, I couldn't have imagined another way to finish. It really encapsulated that nothing is ever what you will see at face-value! I think a huge take-away from this novel, for me at least, was the notion that the bigger decisions you make, whether that be good or bad, will never just effect a close circle of people. Instead, there will always be a ripple effect, sometimes further than you would anticipate! 

But there are still so many other aspects to the story that are charged with emotion and really provoke a deep response! Fiona handled so many sensitive topics in a mature and careful way: none of them were regarded higher than another, nor did they come across as inconsiderate.

Conclusion

'When I Was Ten' really captivated me once I started to get into the rhythm of events and understand what each character brought to the story, making every individual journey so interesting! Fiona Cummins really defied my expectations of this book by bringing something so important to light in a variety of unexpected viewpoints. The book's unpredictability along with it's unique characters played a huge part in it's overall charm and allows it to stand out from other books within this genre!

It has definitely encouraged me to check out some more works by Fiona Cummins as I am obsessed with just how precise each moment has been thought and carried out!

I fully recommend 'When I Was Ten' based on the remarkable roller-coaster ride it took me on!

Let me know what you think! :)