The Favour, by Nora Murphy {Book Review}

“A true friend
repays loyalty with loyalty,
honesty with honesty
and favours with favours.”
― Theodore Volgoff, The Backpack

I’m always eternally and overly grateful for a favour, so much so that I am going to try to repay that favour as soon as humanly possible! I don’t think that is the purpose of somebody doing you a favour, but I think it’s just human nature…to try to repay The Favour….. right?

What is The Favour about?

Staying is dangerous. Leaving could be worse.

Leah and McKenna have never met, though they have parallel lives.

They don’t—ever—find themselves in the same train carriage or meet accidentally at the gym or the coffee shop. They don’t—ever—discuss their problems and find common ground. They don’t—ever—acknowledge to each other that although their lives have all the trappings of success, wealth and happiness, they are, in fact, trapped.

Because Leah understands that what’s inside a home can be more dangerous than what’s outside. Driving past McKenna’s house one night, she sees what she knows only too well herself from her own marriage: McKenna’s “perfect” husband is not what he seems. She decides to keep an eye out for McKenna, until one night, she intervenes.

Leah and McKenna have never met. But they will.

My Thoughts

Leah and McKenna are both married to successful, handsome, charismatic men. They live lives that others, looking in, would probably envy…..nice cars, nice homes, financial stability….but things aren’t always as they seem right? Leah spots McKenna, a stranger, in a liquor store one day, and something draws her to McKenna. She recognises herself in McKenna…..and she becomes somewhat fixated on finding out more about McKenna and determined to help her. How far will Leah go though?

The story is told from three POV’s, Leah’s, McKenna’s and a detective, Jordan Harrison. I enjoyed seeing this story unfold, especially as we also go into the past to find out how these women got to where they are today. The story is written so well, that you really feel for these characters and what they are going through. I found myself feeling sad, angry, hopeful, literally experiencing ALL the emotions!  I found the plot to be so intriguing and I just wanted to get to the end in the hopes it ended the way I hoped it would.

I don’t really know how to classify this domestic suspense novel….a slow burn, yet also a page turner….as contradictory as that sounds? A slow burn, because Nora takes her time weaving these stories together, giving us the history, but also a page turner, because you are so invested that you, well actually I, inhaled every page at record speed!

My Rating

The Favour has a Goodreads rating of 3.86 stars and I’m giving it 4 stars myself. This isn’t the usual twisted, suspense filled books that I am usually drawn to, but this debut from Nora Murphy, I truly enjoyed. Her writing style is so easy and effortless and this story and it’s message around domestic abuse is an important one!

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for this review copy. All opinions are my own.