Customer Reviews

The Cry (Unabridged)

Thank you kindly to Helen Fitzgerald and the Publisher for the advance copy of this novel.

Baby Noah goes missing from a roadside in Australia and the media attention is intense and extreme. Battling their loss and the attention, Noah's parents Alistair and Joanna slowly start to fall apart. As the search heads ever closer to the truth of what happened to Noah, the blame game begins...

I'm not sure how best to describe "The Cry". The blurb calls it a "psychological thriller" and yes I suppose it is in a way. But I have to say I read it more as a family drama - the characterisation is pure and oh so realistic and Ms Fitzgerald has used real life to great effect - we have all seen on the news many high profile missing children cases where first sympathy abounds then suspicion begins...and how social media can play such a huge role in the pressure put upon parents and the police in these situations. What she has done is put a human face on it - the public can't see what goes on behind closed doors when the 24/7 news cycle goes mad but in this fictional story thats exactly what we get. Brilliantly done.

Timeslips are used to great effect - we see Joanna and Alistair's journey with Noah from leaving Scotland, on various legs of the flight to Australia, at the same time hints and teasers about what is actually going on now. As the strands come together the whole picture emerges...in a fascinating way. There is no real attempt at hiding secrets here - although what you see may not always be what you get - its very much about the emotion behind the mask and how you can never know what really goes on in someone elses head. As Joanna heads further and further into what could almost be called insanity, you will feel for her...and for those around her.

Its an amazing book to be sure. I have read some fantastic books lately, this has been a terrific year for terrific novels - yet I sense that this is the one that will stay with me for a long time. Beautifully written, characters you will relate to and feel for and a story that could so easily be truth you should certainly not miss this one. Cry? Oh yes. Indeed I did.

Happy Reading Folks!

I love all Helen Fitzgerald books and recommend them to people all the time. Although the stories can be dark...u can still relate to them and even laugh at the way the story has been told. I think her work is genius and I loved this wee book...just wish they were longer...always finish them too quickly

When the event of the story happened I was unconvinced by their reactions.I finished the novel as I wanted to know their fate but was a bit disappointed with the conclusion. The investigation seemed lame at best, it was just not plausible enough
for me.

Like a lot of other readers on here, I found the characters difficult to connect with and understand. I did enjoy the book, but I also found it a little frustrating and very unbelievable at times. The ending was a little odd and a bit over the top I thought.

Being a parent myself I couldn't understand Joanna and her actions....I think the death of your child would overcome any ability to plot and constantly think on your feet. It all seemed a little far-fetched for me.

I've read worse though, so not a total wash-out.

I feel some of the reviews maybe overhyped the twists a bit, nonetheless I enjoyed the book and read it within a couple of days so it must have been intriguing enough.

I read this book non stop, could not put it down. Incredibly well written, the emotions are so well described. Will be seeking this author out for more.

Something inside me wanted to press the STOP button but I found myself devouring the next page instead.
It's one of the most gripping books I've read in a while. I loved the writing style and pace.

It's a sad, emotional and twisted tale but you can sort of see once that first decision along that dusty road is made, how Joanna is swept along with it all.
I feel bad that initially I found Joanna's behaviour on the airplane slightly amusing. For me it's that early connection with Joanna that makes the rest of the book so devastatingly sad. Alistair's character as a cool, confident spin doctor slowly disintegrates and his selfish, egocentric side is totally exposed.

The story didn't end how I expected. The rest of the world never gets to know what happened to baby Noah. It's also difficult to believe after everything that's happened to Joanna, that she could still keep it all secret. Also `Dads' didn't really get a very good press throughout the story (except maybe Alexandra's father whom we didn't hear too much about).

If Helen FitzGerald's books are all this `heavy', I'm going to need time-out to recuperate before picking up another one.

As a reader, as a rule, I like a nice, uncomplicated linear plot from one character's perspective. I don't usually take kindly to seeing the same situation from more than one point of view, and I don't, in the process, like to deal with the switching of tenses from past to present and back again. And I don't like too many surprises. I guess, in this respect, you'd call me a pretty lazy kind of reader.

However... The Cry somehow managed to do all of these things and keep me totally and utterly gripped and immersed from start to finish. The writing style, the plot and the actual telling of the story is consistently good and so cleverly executed that I couldn't stop reading.

Just buy it and read it.

From the first page to the last I was enthralled by this wonderfully written book. The storyline is so well written. The author captivates the reader with a haunting story...no spoilers....highly recommended...

Absolutely loved this book and not my normal type of choice but as a deal of the week thought I'd give it a go. Very deep subject which at times was hard to read without getting upset. However, I did laugh out loud at certain points. Great characters and definitely worth a read.