Freefall is both simultaneously family drama and gripping thriller.
Split into dual narratives, we hear from both Alison and her mother Maggie – two strong women who have their own battles to fight and obstacles to overcome. Barry is gifted in creating an unique sense of individuality between mother and daughter, and yet managing to create subtle links in their personalities that hold the narrative together.
I read Freefall very quickly, with the easy prose and dialogue carrying the narrative forward with ease. The short chapters allowed me to dip in and out, although I found myself always wanting to read ‘just one more’. My only thought is that much of Allison’s perspective is her struggling in the woods, which of course is inevitable, but this – bar the flashbacks – felt a little slow, and stunted the narrative flow a little bit.
An enjoyable read!
Out Now in ebook. Publishes 7th March 2019 (Harvill Secker) in hardback,
Rebecca Millar Editorial 