THE FAVOR | Nora Murphy
05.31.2022 | Minotaur Books
Rating: 4/5 stars
Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have parallel lives. They don’t—ever—find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or the coffee shop. They don’t—ever—discuss their problems and find common ground. They don’t—ever—acknowledge to each other that although their lives have all the trappings of success, wealth and happiness, they are, in fact, trapped. Leah understands that what’s inside a home can be more dangerous than what’s outside. Driving past McKenna’s house one night, she sees what she knows only too well herself from her own marriage: McKenna’s “perfect” husband is not what he seems. She decides to keep an eye out for McKenna, until one night, she intervenes.
What a debut! I am absolutely beyond impressed by Nora Murphy’s writing ability. Murphy has taken the extremely sensitive and difficult topic of domestic abuse and created a story that shines an honest light on the matter, while managing to be respectful to victims. I loved getting to know Leah and McKenna, hearing everything from them first hand through alternating narratives. Murphy wisely includes a third narrative that shines an outsider’s perspective on the lives of both women. THE FAVOR has several twists that kept me eagerly listening to see how things would end up at the end. Murphy’s writing is top-notch and it’s clear that this is a topic she is passionate about. Definitely spend the extra few minutes reading her author’s note at the end.
TW: I highly recommend checking this book out, but please take some time and read the trigger warnings on StoryGraph.
🎧: The audio for this book is wonderful! The three narrators truly make the characters and the story come to life!
A huge thank you to Minotaur Books for my gifted copy!
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