Book Review - Testimony by Anita Shreve

Testimony by Anita Shreve
rating: 2 of 5 stars


Testimony fell flat, surprisingly, as the few other books I have read by Anita Shreve I have very thoroughly enjoyed.

The story is about a teenage sex scandal in a private high school that alters the lives of everyone involved. The chapters are set up with each one changing to a different point-of-view (POV) character and each character telling their story from a distinct narrative mode; the character Ellen even tells her story in second-person narrative mode, which was interesting since it is so rare. But it didn’t work. The characters lacked depth, and I finished the story not caring about any of them.

Testimony is an easy read however, with short chapters clearly stating the POV character, making it a book effortlessly read in brief time increments. It also very clearly demonstrates the premise that a single action can cause a life to very completely change direction, as we see in the teenagers involved in the sex scandal, as well as their parents and the school headmaster.

While the story is not a riveting page-turner, I wouldn’t say it was bad either. The writing is clear, concise, and easy to follow. I give this novel 2 stars for OK.

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