The Revisionists

I love it when a novel messes with your head. You begin to read it for the thrilling story promised in its blurb: a fast-paced story about places other than your own home, about women doing things that you could not possibly do, and it starts strong. You know you are going to get everything you want. And then, you realise this story is about more than you bargained for. It is a story of women’s ambition, about memory and about how we all want certain things to be true, and by now these themes are making you reflect on your own life because it is a novel about everyone, really. I mean, we all want certain things to be true.

Christine Campbell is a former journalist, newly widowed, and attempting to write a memoir celebrating her bold and considered life and her recognised achievements in writing about the silencing of women during global conflicts. She has been the subject of a documentary paying homage to her Pulitzer Prize-shortlisted coverage of the unrest in Chechnya in 1999. This documentary brings her oldest friend back into her life: Dr Frankie Pearson, who was in Eastern Europe with her back then. The two friends have been estranged for over 20 years. The story reveals the uncomfortable reasons why. Along the way, we are treated to scenery described in minute detail: the homes and the countryside all rendered beautifully.

This story is an emotional exposé of how truth can be manoeuvred to suit the teller. It is a detailed, ascetic type of novel, and readers of exacting prose will be pleased. If you want a quick and easy read, this is not for you; but for those who want to consider human behaviour, in all its complexity, this novel will delight you.