False Victim

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I've been absent recently and I apologize...but, I'm baaaaack!  My life has been super crazy busy lately and although that's no excuse to not blog...well, that's my excuse.  Moving along to my mostly recently finished book...

False Victim is a book based upon a true story that actually happened to the author, Kathie Truitt.  Julie, the main character in the book, moves to Washington DC with her family and quickly makes work of settling into the neighborhood and her new life.  However, her neighbor, Lynn, has other plans...Lynn begins to copy everything Julie does...and begins to stalk Julie, but Lynn makes it out to appear the opposite...and it gets right down scary when Julie ends up charged with attempted murder. 

Quite a few girls in my book club...in fact, I think almost all of them...have read this book.  Most of them absolutely loved it.  When I finished this book, my in-laws were in town and I had my mother-in-law read it as well because she had just finished the book she had brought.  It's a very quick read with short chapters and relatively large print.  I had read the whole thing in two sittings. 

While I can't say I enjoyed this book, it was definitely a page-turner.  I don't really think you can enjoy a book where someone is slowly being tortured, stalked and victimized.  You literally want to keep reading just so you know what crazy episode is going to happen next.  Donna, my MIL, even looked at me halfway through the book and said, "You know, this is a really depressing book!"  It's hard to believe that the police weren't catching on to what was going on.  Scary to think that this kind of stuff really does happen!

The book has a very real ending and I appreciated that...though, I wished things could have turned out for the better in both women's cases.  My favorite line (and Donna's) in the book was when Rick, Lynn's husband, comes to Julie in the end apologizing and saying something to the effect of, "She's my wife and I love her." Julie responds with, "If you truly loved her, you would have gotten her help a long time ago."  How true.

I would definitely recommend this book.  As a general rule, I'm a person that keeps to myself and doesn't normally open up to new friends for a period of time.  And what's funny is that some of my closest friends are the same way.  Very private people, until a certain level of trust is earned.  While I don't recommend being a hermit or recluse, this book validates my thoughts that while most people are generally good...it's best to keep your guard up because you never know.  And also, always trust your gut.  If you're getting a negative vibe from someone, there's probably a reason why.