#Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton

It's a pleasure to take part in the Blogtour Girls Don't Cry by Peter Kesterton.

About the Author

I was born in Manchester to Irish parents who gifted me the tradition of storytelling and a love of words. Unusually for an Irish family I was an only child and found company in books and stories. I moved to Bristol to go to university, and loved the city so much I stayed on after graduating. I landed a job as a technician at the BBC and worked on radio dramas. Not content with simply doing the sound effects, I decided to write my own radio play. Many years and drawers full of rejections later, I had my radio drama Heads You Win, Tales I Lose, broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

I went on to write stage plays, notably Air Guitar for the Bristol Old Vic Theatre and Playing with Snails which won the Croydon Warehouse International Playwriting competition 2011.

In 2019, I went to Bath Spa University as a mature student, undertaking an MA in creative writing. I graduated with distinction. Girls Don’t Cry was partially written on the course. Follow @Peter_Kesterton on Twitter - for more information visit: peterkesterton.com

About the book

A decade after his young daughter’s murder, a grief-stricken father’s need for justice puts his own life in danger as events spiral out of control . . .

Ever since Caitlin Grady was released from prison, Darren has been tormented by rage and injustice. He finds himself venting online, where a stranger befriends him—and encourages him to seek revenge.

But Caitlin no longer goes by that name. She has been given a new identity and is living quietly, dreading exposure as the tabloids—with help from her publicity-hungry mother—try to hunt her down. And having committed the crime at age eleven, Caitlin struggles as an adult on her own, out in the world beyond prison walls. Will Darren manage to track Caitlin down, and if he does, will he be able to carry out his plans?

Review

Without taking the ending into account, because discussing any sort of twist would spoil the plot and read for everyone - I want to focus on the element that intrigued me the most about this story. The question of guilt, forgiveness and whether the punishment can ever fit the crime when the crime is the worst you can imagine.

I liked the way the author showed the clear difference in coping strategies, or complete lack of, when it came to the parents. The father is unable to let go of the idea that the perpetrator is allowed to reboot their life after being released and the mother just wants to leave the pain behind in the past. A child on child crime is one that can divide opinions, because the perpetrator gets the choice to rehabilitate and move on from their crime. The victim, especially if the victim is deceased, and their loved ones don't really get the same offer of choices. You can't turn back time or bring someone back to life.

I can understand the obsession Darren has, which has become a cooking pot for his pain and anger, instead of an outlet to work through the violent death of his child. Some things are unforgiveable, aren't they?

It's a dark domestic thriller that will make the reader question their gut reaction, the societal expectation in regards to whether the punishment fits the crime, and how anyone in such a cruel situation can move forward.

Buy Girls Don't Cry at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher ‏: ‎Bloodhound Books; pub date 22 Feb. 2023. Buy via Amazon com.