Twenty years ago ten year old Sara Carter brutally murdered her abusive parents. Having served eight years in a young offenders institute Sara was given a new identity when she was released. Sara is now living a contented life with her husband and young daughter. Her world comes crashing down when her older sister surfaces, giving a rare TV interview about the murders.
Having recently reviewed and thoroughly enjoyed Into The Dark by Fiona Cummins I realised that When I Was Ten was on my TBR pile and decided to move it to the top. Happily I wasn't disappointed by this decision, if anything this was the better of the two novels.
The opening chapters immediately grab you and fill you with intrigue. In 1997 a young girl is running through a storm, terrified because the adults familiar to her are dead. In 2018 a woman is startled awake in the middle of the night and we are told that in eleven minutes and fourteen seconds she will be dead. We feel the sense of panic both people are living through and wonder how they are connected.
Gradually we learn of the murder itself. The sisters are brought up in a strict household by abusive parents. The description of the abuse isn't graphic, just like the nature of the abuse. The parents, a local doctor and his wife, are pillars of the community and ensure that they come across as loving parents. Behind closed doors the girls are regularly starved and locked in a spider infested shed. The subtle nature of the physical, emotional and psychological abuse is stomach churning.
When one of the sisters agrees to a rare TV interview this re-ignites interest in the murders. The use of smartphones and social media alongside 24-hour news channels and online news reports makes you realise how voyeuristic society has become and how this drives reporters for more scandalous headlines.
There are plenty of twists throughout to keep the pages turning along with some edge of your seat scenes that will have you gasping.
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