Blog Tour: Little White Lies by Philippa East

‘Breathtaking suspense. A phenomenal talent’ HOLLY SEDDON ‘Terrifically engaging’ JO SPAIN ‘Addictive. I couldn’t put it down’ PHOEBE MORGAN ‘A heart-thumping, racing thriller’ CHRISTINA McDONALD
She only looked away for a second...
Anne White only looked away for a second, but that’s all it took to lose sight of her young daughter.
But seven years later, Abigail is found.
And as Anne struggles to connect with her teenage daughter, she begins to question how much Abigail remembers about the day she disappeared...
Addictive, edge-of-your-seat dark women’s fiction perfect for fans of Jodi Picoult, BCC drama Thirteen, and Emma Donoghue’s Room.

It’s a known fact that I love Crime Fiction and I have found myself searching for an added element, something that speaks to me, is a calling card left in a deserted room.  It leaves clues for me to discover, to strip layer after layer back until I have been exposed to the dark secrets.  This is what you can expect from Little White Lies.  The writing style, the thrilling voice – this book gives me the Psychological Thriller Fuzies! 

Little White Lies will creep up on you, catch you off guard and kick your heart into a galloping crescendo.  You know when an opening chapter lays the foundations to be a rollercoaster ride that your attention will be focusing in rapturous enchantment.  My attention didn’t wander, it didn’t ebb, instead it transported into the pages and became one with the story. 

So, what had my attention so captured, you ask?  Multiple layers of deceit.  Child abduction that wasn’t as it appeared.  An overbearing aunt.  A long-buried family secret.  A police Officer that sees more than they want. 

The narrative blew me away.  The research that brought this story to life was skilfully presented to us in the most realistic form.  The feeling of a threatening shadow just creeping into the corners of your vision was palpable.  What would be revealed?  Would it be a bad thing for their daughter to turn up?  What would she say, how would she behave?  Is ignorance truly bliss? 

Your daughter has been missing for seven years.  You’ve pretty much lost all hope of her coming home, alive, right?  What happens when you receive a phone call saying she had walked into the police station with another little girl…but, not once has she asked to come to you.  That fateful day she went missing.  The fact that you were meant to protect her against harm.  Just what has she seen and experienced?  The story is poignant, heart-breaking and I spent periods during reading just imagining how I would feel if it was one of my own boys.  It’s really not worth imagining. 

Events really take a turn when Abigail finally comes home.  Nothing’s the same.  No amount of telling her she is safe, family dinners, shopping trips and decorating bedrooms is going to erase the trauma that this girl has suffered.  It is at this point that the brain fog lifts and I’m left feeling bereft like Abigail.  The pain is apparent, and she truly doesn’t know which way is up. 

This book is an uncomfortable read.  I struggled to prise it from the death grip I had upon the book.  Philippa East knows just how to punch you in the jugular and wreak havoc with your emotions.  This book is akin to being dropped into quicksand with an anchor strapped to your ankle – it forces you to swim between one raw emotion to another.  Little White Lies deals with difficult themes, but they are handled with extreme delicacy and tact.  It was invigorating to read about a child that did finally return home.  It dealt with how the parents would have to navigate extremely murky waters.  It was a tale of hope and new beginnings but one of immense patience. 

Little White Lies was a devastatingly emotional read.  The narrative is like a death grip- unyielding and heartfelt.  I read it with my heart in my mouth.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hello, I am a fiction writer living in Lincolnshire.

I have written short stories for a several years, a number of which have been published in literary magazines including Brittle Star, Fictive Dream, and Shooter Magazine. I’ve also had a few successes in competitions such as The Fiction Desk and Retreat West.

In 2017, I was long listed in Mslexia First Novel award. This year, I secured a publishing deal with HQ/HarperCollins for my debut ‘Little White Lies’. This Book Club read tells the story of a family whose missing child is found alive seven years after her disappearance; it is a book that begins where other stories end.

In the beginning, I graduated with a degree in Psychology and Philosophy from Oxford University. I subsequently trained as a Clinical Psychologist and worked for 12 years in the NHS before establishing my own psychology practice. This background in philosophy and psychology serves as the inspiration for many of my stories.

I now divide my time between clinical work and writing, and I share my love of writing with my members of the Lincolnshire-based writers’ group The Lindum Scribes.

‘Little White Lies’ will be out in early 2020.

Philippa East