“An innocent mistake. A lifetime of guilt.”
Set to be published on 20th January, Breaking Point by Edel Coffey follows high-flying Susannah has two beautiful daughters, a successful medical career, a caring husband, and an enviable life. She truly has it all. But when – on the hottest day of the year – her strict morning routine is disrupted, Susannah finds herself running on autopilot. It is hours before she realizes she has made a devastating mistake. Her baby, Louise, is still in the backseat of the car and it is too late to save her. As the press closes in around her, Susannah is put on trial for negligence. It is plain to see that this is not a trial, it’s a witch hunt. But what will the court say?
Rating: 
Thank you to NetGalley for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Next Of Kin by Kia Abdullah was one of my favourite reads last year, and Breaking Point starts in a very similar way – on a very hot day, with a baby in the backseat of a car. Although that took away some of the emotional shock for me having been completely broken by Abdullah’s story, these books then go off in two completely different directions.
Breaking Point has much more of a point to make, and I completely admire how it explores the attitudes towards working mothers and the pressure that are placed on them. With the book being set in the US, their situation is obviously very different to ours here in the UK, as we are much more fortunate to have more support in this area. But there are definitely still many problems over here (childcare being more expensive than your average salary, for one), so it’s still such an important topic in need of being discussed.
Coffey brilliantly layers this topic into her story, set alongside many moments of tragedy and grief to make for a deeply compelling read. Even though I didn’t particularly connect with either female lead, both are still well-developed characters and I still found their stories incredibly powerful. I especially appreciated how they represented two different reactions to grief after both experiencing such harrowing experiences, which really allowed me to understand their individual points of view.
A quick but thought-provoking and emotive read, Breaking Point is a remarkable debut by Edel Coffey and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future releases.
Details:
Breaking Point by Edel Coffey
Release Date: 20th January 2022
Print Length: 284 pages
Genre: Medical Thriller
Publisher: Sphere – Little, Brown Book Group UK
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