Book – Heart Shaped Bruise by Tanya Byrne

‘That’s all love is, you know, wanting to be the best person you can be for someone.’This was one of two books I bought at the last Birmingham Book Festival. Two authors did a book reading event together and both books are quite dark. Not my usual read – dark is OK but I’ve not yet read crime – and this book seemed less dark. The other one is Black Heart Blue by Louisa Reid which I’m not sure if I’ll ever read but hey, I have autographed copies of both.This one, as Tanya explained at the talk, is written through the eyes of troubled young lady who is in a London young offender’s institution. We learn early on that Emily stabbed somebody in retaliation for that person stabbing her father. I won’t go into the details of why but it was justified. She’s being held and getting treatment in a psychiatric unit and her story is told through a notebook she has written to leave behind when she leaves.What makes the book compulsive is that Emily has two characters; the one that is writing this and the one that she takes on to befriend the girl who stabbed her father. This is why she is here; she went to great lengths to hurt Juliet and this is made all the worse as Juliet thought they were friends.Her hurt is justified too as the stabbing results in her finding out some truths about her father that she was blissfully unaware off. So both girls’ lives have been turned upside down and there is sympathy with both.The book keeps you waiting but we know at some point Emily will make her move and tell Juliet who she really is.A fine read.7½/10Inspiration 8/10