It couldn't happen here. This is what the citizens of the close-knit village of Stonesmere in the Lake District of England would say if asked. They were wrong as it did happen there. On the annual Day One primary school play a lone gunman opened fire in the village hall. As if this isn't horrible enough, what came after makes it even worse. Conspiracy theorists rear their ugly heads, terrorizing the town. The story focuses on two people. Marty is the daughter of the beloved teacher murdered that day. Because of her family, she holds an elevated status in the community. Trent, who once lived in Stonesmere, once knew the shooter, albeit briefly. He is certain there is more to the story and launches his own investigation. What really did happen that day and why? The narrative changes time periods seamlessly. It becomes obvious that Marty is harboring secrets expertly and precisely, the author reveals them when we least expect it. While both Marty and Trent are complex characters, I found Trent to be the most perplexing. Living with his widowed mother and her current boyfriend, life becomes unbearable. Needing a cause and a purpose, he becomes almost the perfect poster boy for a conspiracy theorist, not seeing the rabbit hole it takes him down into one he can't dig himself out of. DAY ONE, by Abigail Dean, is a profound and dark story. Even so, it is so well told that readers are engrossed because we want answers to what did happen that day and why. Highly recommended.
A village hall, a primary school play, a beautiful Lake District town in England. Into this idyllic scene steps a lone gunman whose actions set off a train of events that will have devastating consequences for the close-knit community of Stonesmere.
In the weeks following the cataclysm, conspiracy theorists start questioning what happened. Two young people find themselves at the epicenter of the uproar: Marty, the town’s golden girl and daughter of a teacher killed that day, and Trent, whose memories of his brief time trying to fit into Stonesmere fuel his attachment to the conspiracies.
But what really happened at the Day One assembly? What secrets is Marty keeping and what blindspots does Trent miss? In this world where news travels fast, and videos and gossip travel faster, how does a community move forward together?
Opening with a gripping moment of terror, and then jumping forward in time to show how secrets, trauma, miscommunications, and unrequited feelings reverberate over a lifetime, Abigail Dean once again delivers, "a riveting page-turner, full of hope in the face of despair." (Sophie Hannah, The Guardian).
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