Sins of the Father by Sharon Bairden

Oh, I have been looking forward to this day for so long! Sins of the Father, the debut novel by crime fiction fanatic, blogger extraordinaire and all round lovely person Sharon Bairden was published yesterday and today I get to share my thoughts on it with you all. Huge thanks to Meggy at Red Dog Press for inviting me onto the tour and for sending my review copy. I've  since bought my own paperback copy. 
 

The Blurb:

Lucas Findlay thinks he has struck gold when he marries Rebecca, but she married him for one reason only - to destroy him.

Trauma runs deep

When her past comes back to haunt her, Rebecca begins to disconnect from herself and the world around her. As secrets are unearthed, she begins to fear for her sanity ... and her life.

Truth will out

With her world unravelling around her, Rebecca clings to her determination to make Lucas pay, whatever the cost.

Forgive his sins

But someone must pay for the sins of the father...

Sins of the Father was published yesterday as an ebook and in paperback by Red Dog Press and is available to buy from Red Dog, Bookshop, Hive, Waterstones and Amazon. 

My Review: 

Now I knew Sharon liked her crime fiction dark. And I heard her read the prologue of Sins of the Father at Bute Noir last year (remember real life book festivals... missing them hugely) and it was... dark. But that didn't prepare me for just how dark things were going to get. Please don't be put off by this - Sins of the Father is an amazing book which I absolutely loved, but it's not an easy read and covers some difficult issues. 

At the centre of the story is Rebecca who we meet at various different ages, starting when she is ten years old. Her father is absent and in recent years her mother's care of her has declined to the point of neglect as she brings a trail of unsavoury 'uncles' into their now filthy home. During this time Rebecca can turn to no one except the voices emerging in her head, particularly the loudest of these, Samantha. After a particularly awful incident Rebecca enters the care system but life doesn't get much easier for her. 

But we meet Rebecca some years later, grown up and successful, working in a charity for victims of abuse in the East end of Glasgow and married to Lucas who works elsewhere in the third sector. On the outside they appear to have a perfect marriage but all is definitely not as it seems. Rebecca has plans but can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her...

I mentioned the prologue above. We're in Rebecca's head and it's a wild, vivid and terrifying ride. The descriptive writing grabs you and pull you right in and it ends with a total OMG moment. 

The early part of the book is written entirely from Rebecca's point of view and it's utterly heartbreaking. The storytelling is detailed and descriptive and it was easy to imagine the terrible conditions in which Rebecca finds herself, the things she has to do and the damage they cause her. 

The second part of the book is told from several points of view, mainly Rebecca's but also from husband Lucas's and one or two others, and it seems all of them have secrets. We learn more about all the central characters as the story moves on and, to be honest, none of them are terribly likeable, but they are all wonderfully drawn. I could picture them all. And there is a vulnerability, about Rebecca that makes it impossible for the reader not to care about her. The tension rises as the story progresses and things start to unravel with a couple of big surprises along the way. 

As I may have already mentioned Sins of the Father is very dark and touches on some difficult subjects which might mean this isn't for everyone. But I would encourage you to try it as it's also descriptive, vivid, heartbreaking, haunting and beautifully written. A bold, confident and stunning debut. 

The Author:

Sharon Bairden is the Services Manager in a small, local independent advocacy service and has a passion for human rights; by night she has a passion for all things criminal. She blogs about books at Chapterinmylife and is delighted to be crossing over to the other side of the fence to become a writer. Sharon lives on the outskirts of Glasgow, has two grown up children, a grandson, a Golden Labrador and a cat. She spends most of her spare time doing all things bookish, from reading to attending as many book festivals and launches as she can. She has been known to step out of her comfort zone on the odd occasion and has walked over burning coals and broken glass – but not at the same time!