Apple Tree Yard - WARNING SPOILERS

[SuperScribbler]

I finished Apple Tree Yard over the weekend and thought it was ok, but was really irritated by the confession in court. I get that Apple Tree Yard acted as an emotional trigger and yet... I was irritated that Yvonne just blurted out that she had lied almost immediately that the name was mentioned. There was no evidence and she could have maintained that Mark was a fantasist. Weak ending IMO. Hhhmmph.

I often feel the same way katatonic.

I did like Apple Tree Yard but for me the big shock came much earlier and it wasn't the confession of the lie or the 'reveal' at the end but the realisation of what was about to happen in the office, just before it did.

I might have been naive but I just did not see that coming at all, so I felt that was the turning point and the most shocking moment, so the end of the book didn't feel weak to me, although I felt it unlikely that she would just confess to the lie.

Although that said, she had been through a horrendous experience and a long and worrying wait before the trial so perhaps she was just finally so worn down by his betrayal that she couldn't summon the strength to keep the lie going.

I was also quite shocked again to learn how cynical things can be in court, and how manipulative, how easy it is to prejudice the jury for or against someone just by the selection of the barrister without them even speaking a word. I know it should be obvious and I've seen it in other books but it was laid out so plainly in this book that it still felt shocking and wrong.