Blame by Michelle Huneven
Review by Mirah W. (mwelday)
What would happen if an event that changed the course of your life turned out not to have happened the way you thought? What if there were details you didn’t know? Would you be the person you became because of the event or would you be fake, just someone portraying who you thought you were supposed to be?
Patsy MacLemoore is a smart, professional woman with a problem: she is an alcoholic who has been known to experience alcohol-induced blackouts. During one of her blackouts two people are killed and she is found guilty of their deaths. Patsy’s life changes after this event and she makes choices, some of which are fueled by guilt. But what is the full story of what happened that night? I’m not going to tell you here but, as the full story is revealed, Patsy struggles to be honest with herself about all of the motivations behind her choices.
One thing I really like about ‘Blame’ is Huneven carefully crafts and delivers Patsy’s character development. Patsy’s struggles are relatable; she could be your family member, a friend or neighbor. Her story is told with honesty and a heavy dose of reality.
I also liked how Huneven started the story with characters other than Patsy. At first I was confused but then it started to make sense to me. In my opinion, in the beginning Patsy wasn’t comfortable in her own skin. She was swayed by alcohol and the people around her and didn’t have control of her own life. So it seemed appropriate for the author to demonstrate that lack of control by not revealing how Patsy fit in the big picture at the beginning of the novel.
After reading this novel, I am definitely going to read other books by Huneven. My final judgment: ‘Blame’ is worthy of five stars.
