Allegedly

by Tiffany D. Jackson

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I have a lot of feelings about Allegedly. It made me mad, it made me sad, and it twisted and turned me around. Several hours after finishing the book, I’m trying to decide at which point Mary was an unreliable narrator.

First of all, it’s really well-done. Allegedly is a debut, but it’s well-written and well-researched, enough to feel like it was was created by a seasoned author. The language flows and adjusts itself well to different situations and speakers. Additionally, the narrator (Bahni Turpin) is fantastic – she also read Children of Blood and Bone and did a great job with that as well? I feel pretty confident recommending her as a narrator.

Tiffany D. Jackson really makes you fall for her characters. Mary Addison is a timid, quiet girl. The only times she causes trouble is when she needs something – a distraction, for example. She was convicted as a little girl for killing a baby, and Allegedly deals with her appeals and the reason why she decides to appeal in the first place. There are, of course, twists and turns along the way that pull you deeper and deeper into the grip of the novel. Jackson excels at false leads and unreliable characters. Because the characters are typically what makes me fall for a book in the first place, I can’t tell you how exasperating I find it to grow to trust a character… then be betrayed.

Exasperated in a good way, mind you. I was totally sold on every moment of this book. Allegedly betrays the reader’s trust time and again. As I mentioned, I’m still not sure if the final twist is the truth or a lie. I can’t stop thinking about it.

Beyond the fictional aspects of storytelling, there are important topics to be discussed here. For one, there’s the story of a young black girl who killed a white baby. Aspects of race play strongly in the way people perceive Mary, as well as the way she was sentenced. There’s conversations about mental health, child abuse, teenage pregnancy, and the poor state of many group homes. There’s also mention of spousal abuse, attempted rape, and of course the headline, infant homicide. Allegedly is not for the faint of heart. But it’s very well-written and in many ways, heartbreaking. And infuriating. I have a lot of feelings about it.

The only place this would lose a few points for me is in the pacing. The first 30% is a bit slow. It picks up after the halfway point, once the plot starts to unroll, but a little bit of perserverence is required at the beginning. It’s worth it, though. I promise. As a whole this is an under-rated, under-read book and deserves some attention. If you’re looking for an intriguing, meaningful realistic fiction read, I urge you to give Allegedly a try.