It Could Never Happen Here - Eithne Shortall

Genre: Fiction | Adult Fiction | Domestic Drama

Release Date: 3rd February 2022

Publisher: Atlantic Books | Corvus

Everyone knows that Glass Lake is the only school worth going to, and the social hierarchy there is more sacred than the actual Monarchy in this small town. Their annual golf outings, reunions and fundraisers were more important in the diary than your own birthday and missing them isn't an option if you want to be anyone. As usual, everyone is excitedly waiting for the school music with the bravado and budget of a west end hit ... and then the unthinkable happens.

Beverly is the Queen Bee of the 'Lakers', and her daughter is a star in the musical who clearly shines brighter than all the other children. But when her 12-year old is caught in the centre of a nightmare scandal that reverberates through the community, she knows she has to do everything she can not only to protect her daughter, but the school, the musical, and the life she's worked so hard to perfect. But while she's keeping up the appearances, she isn't paying attention to what's going on under the surface, even in her own home.

Playground Politics could turn fatal in this domestic drama - deeply uncomfortable and delving into the gritty hidden parts of life that could be hiding behind any perfect veneer.

A story about the dangers of protecting appearances while everything underneath rots away - this was a disconcerting warning about the superficial and the sinister things that can take over our lives without even knowing.

Beverley was very hard to connect with - former soap star, social media entrepreneur, learns languages between folding laundry and giving makeup tips to her aspiring influencer pre-teen daughter. She was superficial and shallow but there was something about her that I found intriguing and curious. We hear from the other mums of Glass Lake with their own problems and lives too, waiting to see how they all get tangled up in the unfolding scandal.

Everyone in this story had baggage, a hidden agenda, skeletons in their closet - this is one of the stories where nobody is particularly likable but you watch on with the morbid curiosity of a slow-motion car crash.

For me, aside from the viscerally uncomfortable subject matter, I found it hard to connect with anyone which made it quite difficult to fully immerse myself in the story, but it's definitely a strikingly thoughtful read.

⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted an advanced reviewers copy of this title in return for an honest review.

CW: sexualisation of children, death, car accidents, bullying.

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