Take It Back

by Kia Abdullah

‘A superb legal thriller…crackles with tension’ Guardian

‘A topical and gritty story’ Observer

'A thought-provoking and sparklingly intelligent novel, with the welcome bonus of an unguessable ending’ Daily Telegraph

‘Razor-sharp…Much more than a courtroom thriller’ Christina Dalcher, Sunday Times bestselling author of VOX

* * * * *

IT’S TIME TO TAKE YOUR PLACE ON THE JURY.

The victim: A sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, neglected by an alcoholic mother. Who accuses the boys of something unthinkable.

The defendants: Four handsome teenage boys from hardworking immigrant families. All with corroborating stories.

WHOSE SIDE WOULD YOU TAKE?

* * * * *

Readers are giving Take It Back five stars:

‘The perfect book club read . . . will make for lively, thought-provoking discussions’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A skilfully written book that offers a big punch’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘You will feel like you are enveloped in this case and the unseen juror’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Brilliant, powerful, moving and intelligent’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Just when you think you've guessed correctly another twist appears’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A genuine five-star read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A brilliantly compelling, tense and thought-provoking read’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• ISBN13: 9780008314675
• Publish Date: 8 August 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: HQ
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Jeff Sexton]

Nuanced Courtroom Thriller. This is an interesting one. One with a main protagonist that... has several rough edges, at least a couple of which come back to bite her. One with a strong commentary about the role of Muslims in British (and by slight extension, Western) society, at many different levels. One with a strong discussion of what it means to be the "other"... in so many different ways. And one with secrets almost literally to the last word. Tremendous book, and very much recommended.

[stressedrach]

If you are looking for a compelling legal thriller then Take It Back is definitely for you. A court case between a 16-year-old rape victim Jodie, and four Muslim boys who were the accused. I thought well this is going to be a book full of fluff, but ultimately, you know what’s going to happen because every time you see this on TV shows that's what happens. Now I am not going to say whether they are guilty or not, ahh that would spoil it for you but I Well, I am pleased to say I was wrong about the fluff. It highlighted lots of prejudices of religion, class status, gender and race as well as the actual rape. These are things that happen every day in the UK and I think the author did a great job with the writing.
It was an intense read, full of emotions and it that kept me guessing, I kept swapping my opinions on who was telling the truth. It had me up in arms at times.
This is the first book I have read by Kia Abdullah, it will most certainly not be my last.