Review: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Title:  Allegedly

Author: Tiffany D. Jackson

Genre: Young Adult, Mystery

Format/Length: ebook, 400 pages

Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books, 2017 

My Rating:  ★★★★

Mary B. Addison has been convicted of killing a three month old baby. Mary was only nine years old at the time of the crime and she barely said a word when she was questioned. It was the public outcry over the death of a baby that sealed Mary’s fate. And for the past six years all she’s ever known is silence, secrets, and adults who judged her and didn’t care about her.

But Mary’s finally had enough. She wants out of the horrible group home, with its dirt and squalor and horrible people. Coming clean about what really happened that night six year ago might be Mary's salvation.

But who will listen to her? Who could help her reopen her case? And what about her Momma? How can Mary make people understand what it was like to live with her? 

How can Mary make people see her? Does anyone really know the real Mary? 

These are just some of the important questions you will come across while reading Jackson’s debut, Allegedly. Page after page grips you, urging you to stay with Mary, to not miss a single thing she says or does. This story will keep you with Mary on an emotional, gritty, disturbing ride.

It’s easy to feel frustrated about Mary’s plight. Time and again you could ask yourself; why? How could this happen to her? How did it get this far? Did anyone question the physical evidence? Did no one look at Mary’s mother? 

That’s what makes this novel so gripping. I couldn’t put it down. I wanted to keep reading and get answers to my questions. 

Another aspect that was done well was the portrayal of the effects of Mary’s six years of incarceration. It’s clear that her imprisonment has deprived Mary of so much. Aside from freedom she has also been deprived of information, and any and all means of obtaining it. 

This is evident in Mary’s ignorance about so many things. From how computers work, the necessity of having an ID so she can take the SATs, and even not knowing that dozens of books have been written about her and her alleged crime. It all makes sense. It fits the narrative of Mary’s life. 

There is also Mary’s voice. While I wouldn’t call her childish, there is a clear difference between Mary and someone else her age. Again it’s unmistakable in the way Jackson writes Mary that she has gone through so much, and that she has essentially grown up in prison.

As for the rest of the cast of characters, each is vivid and very well done. Jackson did not forget these characters, you can tell she did her research and provided a solid story for each of them. I found these characters to be kind of scary in their distinct differences, particularly the other people living in the group home with Mary. 

I won’t spoil the ending. But I will say that I did like it. I thought it was a good ending, in that it made sense for this story. Allegedly hooks you from the beginning and it won’t let you go until the last page. The writing is smart and the dialogues flow. It deftly tackles issues like truth and mental illness. It also doesn't shy away from examining race and the justice system. 

Even though I don’t love any of the characters and nothing that happens in this book is enjoyable, it is a good read. It’s emotional and sometimes that’s what I look for in a book.

Review: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Photo from Amazon.com

Synopsis: It is the 1960s, the world continues to evolve but life for African Americans, especially in Jackson, Mississippi, remains complicated and even dangerous. African American women have worked as domestic help in white American households for decades. Until Skeeter decides to write a book full of interviews with various maids, the rest of the world never knew what it was like for these working women. And suddenly, Jackson's secrets become a best seller. 

Review: This book is beautifully written, with each chapter presented in a character's point of view. There's Skeeter, Aibileen, and Minny. I think dividing the chapters as such makes the book more interesting and it kept the story lines fresh. The dialogues were believable, as in I could see those events and complexities between characters occurring in that setting. There were characters that I liked a lot more than others, and that's a good thing. I think it shows that they are not one dimensional, and they have believable, realistic characteristics.

Although the subject of this story is not completely cheery, The Help is not a depressing book. I think the author has successfully mixed the good and the bad, she's even added some humor, which I think a lot of people would really enjoy. I know I did.

Overall, I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It focuses on a time that I have not read many novels about. At four hundred plus pages this book is quite comprehensive, and there were times when I wish the plot moved along a little faster but I'm kind of impatient like that, and I just wanted to see what happens to these characters. In the end, I found the last bits very satisfactory. 

Ratings: 4 out of 5 

Have you read The Help?
Will you check out the movie? 
If you have read the book or seen the movie, what are your thoughts on both? 
Share them in the comments section!