Review by Booklist Review
Joni Ackerman, once a critically acclaimed filmmaker, sacrificed her goals for her marriage to Paul Lovett, a successful Hollywood producer. Now, after two children, she's returned her focus to writing, hoping to gain leverage in the market again. But after another prominent producer--a colleague of Paul's--is exposed as a rapist, Joni finds herself haunted by old memories. Her dear friend from college, Val, was one of the victims. Val has never come forward, and Joni is suddenly possessed by the idea of revealing the secret. Val herself is not ready, though, and she rebuffs Joni's attempts to make contact. As Joni seeks other ways to pursue justice, she begins reading through a stack of Patricia Highsmith novels, and the gears in her mind start turning. What follows is a journey through secrets and lies, and Joni will stop at nothing to unravel them all. Lief (House of a Thousand Eyes, 2021) tells Joni's story with lyrical energy while slowly ratcheting up the suspense, blending shocking twists with literary nuances to create a compelling, introspective narrative.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When a Hollywood bigwig is accused of raping multiple women, a rudderless empty nester urges an old friend to come forward in this provocative but uneven standalone from Lief (House of a Thousand Eyes). In 1990, producer Lou Pridgen drugged and raped actor Val Graham at a Hollywood party she crashed with filmmaker Joni Ackerman. Val and Joni kept quiet about the incident to protect their nascent careers. Eventually, Val moved home to Philadelphia and Joni married TV megaproducer Paul Lovett, trading moviemaking for motherhood. Three decades later, Joni and Paul are living in Brooklyn when the Pridgen news breaks. Joni's kids are out of the house and Paul works constantly, so she takes a break from bingeing booze and Patricia Highsmith novels to track Val down and suggest she speak out about her experience with Pridgen. Val refuses, which is a relief to scandal-averse Paul, but a blow to Joni, who perseveres--with unexpected consequences. Lief generates some intriguing tension by juxtaposing the necessity and importance of the #MeToo movement with Joni's questionable motives, and Val and Joni's struggles as women in Hollywood resonate. Unfortunately, too-convenient plotting, unimaginative twists, and poorly established stakes blunt the tale's impact. This aims high and falls short. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (Jan.)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
When news of another Hollywood rape scandal breaks, Joni Ackerman--a former filmmaker now married to Paul Lovett, a powerful TV executive--reaches out to encourage an old friend to expose her truth. Joni has known for decades that the accused CEO was a sexual predator because he assaulted her friend Val Graham at a party almost 30 years ago. Val, at the time an aspiring actress, didn't report the rape and eventually left Hollywood. Joni has always kept silent to honor Val's wishes, but also because "she didn't want [Paul] to love her less, which he would have if she'd told another man's secrets." Now, having recently moved to New York for Paul's job, Joni is at loose ends: in her marriage, in her career, and, now that her younger daughter is at college, as a parent. And so she contacts Val--for solace, for solidarity, and perhaps to finally uncover another secret: the identity of the second man who was present when Val was assaulted, someone never identified. Part domestic thriller, part psychological mystery, this is a tight, well-paced novel, and it hangs on the complex and flawed character of Joni herself. Rediscovering Patricia Highsmith's novels, Joni begins to lean into the darkness of her own soul, which is perhaps not surprising given the experiences that have led her there: giving up her film career to play second-fiddle to a powerful husband; keeping the secrets of monstrous men; finding herself in a marriage where she's expected to smile and serve as the perfect hostess at her husband's star-studded parties but not be a star herself. Caught in the nefarious web of the patriarchy at every turn, she finds in Highsmith a way to fight back and reclaim some of her own agency. There's an unexpected twist that flirts dangerously with the hysterical-female trope, but ultimately, this surprising piece of Joni's story is just that: one more piece. Absolutely a novel of its time--and a novel of women's stories across time. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
