The Truth About Her

The Truth About Her

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  • Create Date：2021-04-08 08:51:39
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Jacqueline Maley
  • ISBN：1460759168
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Summary

How can you write other people's stories， when you won't admit the truth of your own？ An absorbing， moving， ruefully tender， witty and wise novel of marriage， motherhood and the paths we navigate through both， for fans of Ann Patchett and Anne Tyler。

Journalist and single mother Suzy Hamilton gets a phone call one summer morning， and finds out that the subject of one of her investigative exposes， 25-year-old wellness blogger Tracey Doran， has killed herself overnight。 Suzy is horrified by this news but copes in the only way she knows how - through work， mothering， and carrying on with her ill-advised， tandem affairs。

The consequences of her actions catch up with Suzy over the course of a sticky Sydney summer。 She starts receiving anonymous vindictive letters and is pursued by Tracey's mother wanting her， as a kind of rough justice， to tell Tracey's story， but this time， the right way。

A tender， absorbing， intelligent and moving exploration of guilt， shame， female anger， and， in particular， mothering， with all its trouble and treasure， The Truth About Her is mostly though a story about the nature of stories - who owns them， who gets to tell them， and why we need them。 An entirely striking， stylish and contemporary novel， from a talented new writer。

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Reviews

Cj Reads Reviews ，

An easy weekend read that brings you into the heart of Sydney and into the life of Suzy Hamilton。 Suzy is a journalist and a mother to four year old Maddy。 Only a day after Suzy exposes celebrity Tracey Doran in an article in the newspaper， she receives the dreadful phone call that Tracey had committed suicide。 After news spreads of Tracey's death， the tables have turned onto Suzy。 Suzy starts receiving hate mail， amongst the letters she receives vindictive personal letters based on Tracey and h An easy weekend read that brings you into the heart of Sydney and into the life of Suzy Hamilton。 Suzy is a journalist and a mother to four year old Maddy。 Only a day after Suzy exposes celebrity Tracey Doran in an article in the newspaper， she receives the dreadful phone call that Tracey had committed suicide。 After news spreads of Tracey's death， the tables have turned onto Suzy。 Suzy starts receiving hate mail， amongst the letters she receives vindictive personal letters based on Tracey and her article。 Later Suzy is harass by Tracey's mother to rewrite the article and express another side of Tracey。I couldn't relate or feel connected with the characters in the book。 Im not sure if it was because of the scenery- journalism or I personally found the characters in the book unlikeable。 However in parts of the book I did feel sadness for some of the characters。 I love the moral truth behind this novel。 When you have been told something， there is usually two sides of the story。 Firstly the one that has been told and the other is the truth which is yet to be told。 "Assumption is the enemy of the truth" those are the words of Suzy Hamilton。Overall I did enjoy this book and I look forward to reading more of Jacqueline Maley in the future。 4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 。。。more

Katrina ，

3。75/5 An engaging， brutally honest novel which describes motherhood with pinpoint accuracy。 I found myself nodding along in agreement at so many parts， particularly when Suzy is eyeing off the "Park Mothers" who seemingly have it so together - this is a deception we all fall for， constantly。The first part of the book had me immediately immersed， and even though I was expecting more twists and turns， and certainly more information about 'The Incident' and Tracey Doran's social media controversy， 3。75/5 An engaging， brutally honest novel which describes motherhood with pinpoint accuracy。 I found myself nodding along in agreement at so many parts， particularly when Suzy is eyeing off the "Park Mothers" who seemingly have it so together - this is a deception we all fall for， constantly。The first part of the book had me immediately immersed， and even though I was expecting more twists and turns， and certainly more information about 'The Incident' and Tracey Doran's social media controversy， it held my attention the whole way through。 The text is peppered with thinly veiled real life references， which adds to the relatability of this novel。The exploration of the concept of truth was deftly handled。 Every character was hiding something， from themselves and others， and while it was only when they came to accept or reveal their own truths that they could begin to move forward， it was the stories they spun that kept them going。 Jan was a standout character in this regard - like Suzy， I was not prepared to like her as much as I did。A revealing， articulate piece of Australian modern fiction。 Thanks to Better Reading for my ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Alida ，

Thanks to HarperCollinsAU for my advanced copy。The character descriptions in Jacqueline Maley’s debut novel ‘The truth about her’ are an absolute highlight。 Appearance， dialogue and actions are all vividly presented， and their interactions with each other are genuinely believable。 But it’s the mother-daughter relationship that is the stand-out。 Suzy Hamilton is a journalist， and single mother to Maddy， a preschooler。 Over the course of a humid Sydney summer， we follow Suzy and how she deals with Thanks to HarperCollinsAU for my advanced copy。The character descriptions in Jacqueline Maley’s debut novel ‘The truth about her’ are an absolute highlight。 Appearance， dialogue and actions are all vividly presented， and their interactions with each other are genuinely believable。 But it’s the mother-daughter relationship that is the stand-out。 Suzy Hamilton is a journalist， and single mother to Maddy， a preschooler。 Over the course of a humid Sydney summer， we follow Suzy and how she deals with what life throws at her – starting with the suicide of a wellness blogger， who had been the subject of one of her article investigations。 Through it all， however， her bedrock is Maddy， who， totally unaware， provides joy， succour and comfort to her mother （along with the odd tantrum！） The ups and downs of family， friends， lovers， work， and society’s expectations of， and pressures on， motherhood， are all keenly drawn， and Maley’s observational turn of phrase makes it easy to keep turning the pages of this utterly absorbing and engaging book。 。。。more

Virginia ，

The Truth About Her is about Suzy， who is at a crossroads in her life， one that she has been avoiding but is essentially forced into by a number of coinciding circumstances。 We learn about how she got here through reflections into her past。 I really enjoyed Jacqueline Matley’s writing style which was full of honesty。 The writing allowed me to appreciate both the settings and to get to know and understand Suzy and her struggles in love and in motherhood。 It is a relatively slow paced storyline bu The Truth About Her is about Suzy， who is at a crossroads in her life， one that she has been avoiding but is essentially forced into by a number of coinciding circumstances。 We learn about how she got here through reflections into her past。 I really enjoyed Jacqueline Matley’s writing style which was full of honesty。 The writing allowed me to appreciate both the settings and to get to know and understand Suzy and her struggles in love and in motherhood。 It is a relatively slow paced storyline but I was sufficiently drawn in by the writing and the characters to want to continue on。 Some of Suzy’s decisions along the way frustrated me but I also enjoyed how she really grew and changed by the conclusion of the book。 I don’t know if this book will be for everyone but I personally really enjoyed it and I enjoyed the way the story ended， with all of the different threads being addressed。 。。。more

Celia ，

Suzy is a single mother and journalist， and is told one morning that the subject of one of her articles， a "wellness blogger"， has killed herself。 Suzy starts receiving odd packages in the mail of some of Tracey's belongings， and then Tracey's mother tracks her down。 That description sounds a bit thriller-like， but that's not what this book is。 It's an excellent novel， about the way we tell stories about other people， about grief， about motherhood， filed with beautifully realised characters。 Tra Suzy is a single mother and journalist， and is told one morning that the subject of one of her articles， a "wellness blogger"， has killed herself。 Suzy starts receiving odd packages in the mail of some of Tracey's belongings， and then Tracey's mother tracks her down。 That description sounds a bit thriller-like， but that's not what this book is。 It's an excellent novel， about the way we tell stories about other people， about grief， about motherhood， filed with beautifully realised characters。 Tracey's mother is magnificent in her complicated grief， and Suzy is wonderful， making you fondly wince as she makes another reckless decision。 I couldn't put it down。Book received from NetGalley。 。。。more

Ruth ，

“The Truth about her” by Jacqueline MaleyThank you to Better Reading and Harper Collins， Australia， for an ARC of this debut novel by Aussie author， Jacqueline Maley“How can you write other peoples stories， when you won’t admit the truth of your own？”I very much enjoyed reading this book which focused on topics which were close to my own heart – marriage， motherhood， suicide， guilt and shame， the power of journalism and the right to tell stories or not。 It also explored the role of social media。 “The Truth about her” by Jacqueline MaleyThank you to Better Reading and Harper Collins， Australia， for an ARC of this debut novel by Aussie author， Jacqueline Maley“How can you write other peoples stories， when you won’t admit the truth of your own？”I very much enjoyed reading this book which focused on topics which were close to my own heart – marriage， motherhood， suicide， guilt and shame， the power of journalism and the right to tell stories or not。 It also explored the role of social media。 On social media we are able to say things about someone that we wouldn’t have the guts to say face to face。 Social media can be a positive， affirming tool or it can be a negative force – allowing bullying and hateful language and put downs to flourish。 We are each responsible for how we use social media and need to understand the ripple effects our use can have。When I first started the book I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it as I couldn’t really relate to the lifestyle it depicted or to the way the MC Suzy seemed to slip in and out of fleeting relationships – but I had agreed to write a preview and so I kept reading and enjoyed it more as I got to know the characters and their back stories better。 I ended up appreciating the opportunity to read the book。I also liked the ambiguity of the title of the book。 Initially I thought the truth the author was talking about was that of Tracy Doran but as I read more I realised it also meant the truth about Suzy， as well as the truth about Tracey’s mum， Jan。 This intrigued me and each characters story contained twists which kept me wanting to read on。 All in all I thought it was a good read and I gave it 4 stars。 。。。more

Ellie （What Ellie Reads） ，

The premise of The Truth About Her is what drew me in， and it would have kept me captivated had the novel not been so long。 While I’m all for a character-driven plot， this one in particular dragged past the point where I could stay interested。 I appreciated the contrast between the mother who had lost her daughter and the mother raising a young girl。 I liked the depth of the characters， and how intricately the story was woven with minute details that helped to build the story。 There is no doubt The premise of The Truth About Her is what drew me in， and it would have kept me captivated had the novel not been so long。 While I’m all for a character-driven plot， this one in particular dragged past the point where I could stay interested。 I appreciated the contrast between the mother who had lost her daughter and the mother raising a young girl。 I liked the depth of the characters， and how intricately the story was woven with minute details that helped to build the story。 There is no doubt that the author has a talent for constructing detail。 The issue for me was the way that the storyline didn’t progress quickly enough。 The characters seemed to be going around in circles without experiencing growth and the story could have been told in half the number of pages。 I’d recommend this book to people who enjoy character-driven plots and depth of detail。 To those who don’t: proceed with caution （unless you have hours to spare！）。Thank you to HarperCollins Australia and NetGalley for the review copy。 。。。more

Josephine Ann ，

This excellent novel follows two main threads: a journalist deals with the professional fallout after a young wellness blogger she exposes as a fraud takes her own life， while she also deals with the ongoing personal fallout in her relationships after the father of her young child walks out （something that happens before the book begins， and is told in flashbacks）。I found both of these threads totally gripping and devoured this book in a couple of sittings。 Maley has constructed a complex， flawe This excellent novel follows two main threads: a journalist deals with the professional fallout after a young wellness blogger she exposes as a fraud takes her own life， while she also deals with the ongoing personal fallout in her relationships after the father of her young child walks out （something that happens before the book begins， and is told in flashbacks）。I found both of these threads totally gripping and devoured this book in a couple of sittings。 Maley has constructed a complex， flawed and （for me at least） hugely relatable female protagonist， and writes about sex， relationships and motherhood in a way that feels unflinching and true。So looking forward to her next book。 。。。more

Ayesha ，

I had the opportunity to read an advance copy thanks to #BetterReading : The Truth About Her reinforced to me why I don't do socials！ （ Ha ） It's reminiscent of a famous Aussie case， which thankfully didn't end in tragedy。 I felt for Tracey's mum， but it seemed so extreme that Tracey would have acted as she did so quickly。。。 Suzy seems to be just coasting through life till she gets such a massive shock， which forces her to finally make some changes and open herself up more to life。 Interesting t I had the opportunity to read an advance copy thanks to #BetterReading : The Truth About Her reinforced to me why I don't do socials！ （ Ha ） It's reminiscent of a famous Aussie case， which thankfully didn't end in tragedy。 I felt for Tracey's mum， but it seemed so extreme that Tracey would have acted as she did so quickly。。。 Suzy seems to be just coasting through life till she gets such a massive shock， which forces her to finally make some changes and open herself up more to life。 Interesting that it all occurs over a stifling Sydney summer （with no air conditioning！）， which contributes to the sense of suffocation。。。 。。。more

Sandra ，

I found this book quite uneventful and pretty boring as for my taste， there was too much written about her daughter and the constant references to "the Incident" annoyed me。 The main part should have been about Tracey Doran's death but it was more like a side story next to Suzy's "relationships"。 Maybe the problem was as well， that I really could not get myself to like her。 She declares that her daughter Maddy is the most precious thing in her life but is quite willing to forgo taking care of he I found this book quite uneventful and pretty boring as for my taste， there was too much written about her daughter and the constant references to "the Incident" annoyed me。 The main part should have been about Tracey Doran's death but it was more like a side story next to Suzy's "relationships"。 Maybe the problem was as well， that I really could not get myself to like her。 She declares that her daughter Maddy is the most precious thing in her life but is quite willing to forgo taking care of her when she has to attend a funeral for work。 。。。more

Donna ，

No rating as I didn't finish it， got to around page 50 and it wasn't grabbing me。Sorry！ There will never be enough time to read all the books you want， if a book doesn't hook me straight up I move on。 No rating as I didn't finish it， got to around page 50 and it wasn't grabbing me。Sorry！ There will never be enough time to read all the books you want， if a book doesn't hook me straight up I move on。 。。。more

Leesha ，

I devoured this book。 From the first couple of pages right through to the last， I found myself swept up by the plot， ever more invested in the characters and relishing its evocative sense of Sydney as drawn out on the page。The author deploys a keen eye for detail to stitch big themes from small and infinitely relatable moments， most notably the joys and pains of single parenthood。 Some of the observations have really stayed with me。I would recommend to friends; in fact， I already have。

JOConnor ，

This book had me on the edge of my chair throughout。 The tables are turned on the life of journalist Suzy when she becomes the target of a media story that takes a deadly and harrowing turn。 And， worse still， it is a situation she has unintentionally created。 A brilliant inside look at the world of a journalist。 How is she going to justify her actions and， more importantly， how can she recover professionally and personally from the consequences of the fatal turn of events？ Particularly timely in This book had me on the edge of my chair throughout。 The tables are turned on the life of journalist Suzy when she becomes the target of a media story that takes a deadly and harrowing turn。 And， worse still， it is a situation she has unintentionally created。 A brilliant inside look at the world of a journalist。 How is she going to justify her actions and， more importantly， how can she recover professionally and personally from the consequences of the fatal turn of events？ Particularly timely in today’s media climate of explosive disasters， revelations， political scandals and sexual allegations。 A riveting and beautifully written novel。 Polished and sprinkled with humour。 。。。more

Kate McLean ，

Initially， I was gripped - the first quarter of this book is fast-paced， riveting and had me intrigued。 Unfortunately， the remaining three quarters were stagnant， slow， and a lot of the book seemed to be quite irrelevant to the story。 The premise is fantastic， I was sadly disappointed as it could have been so much better - I also felt there were a few unanswered questions lingering too。

Amanda E ，

3。25☆If your life isn't yours， but loaned out constantly to others， then who is responsible when bad things happen or go wrong？Unfortunately this is an average read in which the above question only arises 2/3 in （pg 283 or thereabouts）。 After finishing this book I didn't feel or think anthing。 It was well written， good character development， intriguing storyline， but I felt disconnected to the emotions of the characters。 I didn't feel the guilt， love， grief。But maybe that was the point。 Are the 3。25☆If your life isn't yours， but loaned out constantly to others， then who is responsible when bad things happen or go wrong？Unfortunately this is an average read in which the above question only arises 2/3 in （pg 283 or thereabouts）。 After finishing this book I didn't feel or think anthing。 It was well written， good character development， intriguing storyline， but I felt disconnected to the emotions of the characters。 I didn't feel the guilt， love， grief。But maybe that was the point。 Are the characters just coasting through life， just going through the emotions？ Waiting for something to happen to them？ In summary， this wasn't a bad read and I felt content with the ending， but I felt it could have been more。A copy of The Truth About Her was provided by BetterReading in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Elle ，

I really enjoyed Jacqeuline Maley's first novel。 She has a beautiful way with words， informed by many years as a journalist。It was an interesting premise- and this book really evoked living in Sydney for me。 I really enjoyed Jacqeuline Maley's first novel。 She has a beautiful way with words， informed by many years as a journalist。It was an interesting premise- and this book really evoked living in Sydney for me。 。。。more

Stephanie ，

This is an extraordinarily accomplished first novel I was lucky enough to read a pre publication copy of。 I should declare I know the writer and have done so for many years and it was wonderful to discover that her fiction writing is as excellent as her newspaper journalism。 The Truth About Her tells the story of Suzi Hamilton， a journlist at a major Sydney newspaper who must deal with the consquences of her reporting in a very confronting way。 Suzi is a great addition to the recent explosion of This is an extraordinarily accomplished first novel I was lucky enough to read a pre publication copy of。 I should declare I know the writer and have done so for many years and it was wonderful to discover that her fiction writing is as excellent as her newspaper journalism。 The Truth About Her tells the story of Suzi Hamilton， a journlist at a major Sydney newspaper who must deal with the consquences of her reporting in a very confronting way。 Suzi is a great addition to the recent explosion of complicated female characters （long may they continue） and much of the plot takes place in and around Glebe which Jacqui captures with such an evocative sense of place that the smell of frangipanis/rainy streets/ambition is almost tangible。 I was sucked into the lyrical writing and couldn't put the book down。 Enjoy the treat！ 。。。more

Lisa Hall ，

Jacqueline Maley has written a stunner of a debut novel - the story， the characters， and the amazing prose tugged me back into this book and the rest of the world became white noise around me。Suzy Hamilton， an award-winning journalist， writes a story exposing a charlatan health guru， who claims her healthy diet has cured her cancer。 Online outrage and bile is immediately directed at the fake - and then she dies by suicide。The spotlight is then turned on Suzy's life - one which is unravelling in Jacqueline Maley has written a stunner of a debut novel - the story， the characters， and the amazing prose tugged me back into this book and the rest of the world became white noise around me。Suzy Hamilton， an award-winning journalist， writes a story exposing a charlatan health guru， who claims her healthy diet has cured her cancer。 Online outrage and bile is immediately directed at the fake - and then she dies by suicide。The spotlight is then turned on Suzy's life - one which is unravelling in other areas。As her life continues to fall apart， she desperately tries to keep things afloat for the sake of her gorgeous young child， Maddy - and then， Jan， the mother of Tracey， the fake health guru， lobs into her life demanding she write the true story of her daughter。 Maley writes gloriously， with unashamed colour and vibrancy。 I loved these people， I loved how she brought the inner-city suburb of Glebe alive and I loved how she broached the real messiness of life。Social media， mother love， relationships， guilt， trauma， truth and secrets - they're all covered here。This is what reading is all about for me - a book that is well crafted， that makes me laugh， think， pause， shudder and then exhale。 Can't wait for the next one！ 。。。more

Dale Harcombe ，

Two and a half stars。When Suzy Hamilton hears that Tracey Doran has killed herself， Suzy feels guilt after she exposed Tracey’s deception and false claims。 She throws herself into looking after Maddy， her four year old， work and sex with two men。 Then she starts to receive anonymous letter all featuring things from Tracey’s life。 This makes Suzy more unsettled。 Who is sending them and why？ Could it be Tracey’s mother。 Jan， who wants Suzy to write an affirming positive story about Tracey？ Could i Two and a half stars。When Suzy Hamilton hears that Tracey Doran has killed herself， Suzy feels guilt after she exposed Tracey’s deception and false claims。 She throws herself into looking after Maddy， her four year old， work and sex with two men。 Then she starts to receive anonymous letter all featuring things from Tracey’s life。 This makes Suzy more unsettled。 Who is sending them and why？ Could it be Tracey’s mother。 Jan， who wants Suzy to write an affirming positive story about Tracey？ Could it be a means for Suzy to atone in some way for the guilt that she feels for the 25 year old’s death？The premise of this story is interesting and it certainly highlights the problems of social media where anonymous keyboard cowards can spew the most hateful and vile comments。 There are some interesting observations about life and people throughout and some good prose。 But it was not enough to maintain my interest。 Maybe the characters are believable in the context of the political and journalism world， but I struggled to relate to or care about any of them， and that included Suzy。 Added to which， some of her decisions seemed incredibly stupid and naive。By the time the story was about half way through， I was getting bored with what， at times， seemed unnecessary and uninteresting information。 I started to skim towards the end。 The closer it progressed towards the end， the less believable I found the behaviour of characters。 This is a personal view from someone who could not relate to or like the main character。 Others may react differently。 My thanks to the publisher and Better Reading for my ARC to read and review。 Though there were aspects of this book I appreciated， there were other aspects I did not。 For me it was just an okay read but others may respond to it better than I did。 。。。more

Jaclyn ，

I positively gulped the first third of this down and was literally breathless。 But Maley couldn’t maintain the pace or the intrigue sadly and ultimately this was a patchy work of fiction。 A truly perfect opening line though if you’re into that kind of thing （goodness knows I am）。

Jess Checkland ，

The trials of navigating your way through morality， parenthood， relationships and ethicality。 I didn’t love this book but I also didn’t hate this book。 The point of view was quite compelling but it fell kind of flat for me。

Suzie Bull ，

A compelling read about a journalist and the inherent fallout from a story she publishes。 Through this， and some other bad decisions， she is at a crossroad in her life and must come to grips with some difficult issues。 I like the perspective of the book from a journalists point of view， we can assume which was influenced by an incident which appeared in the newspapers some years ago。

Michael ，

Intelligent and gripping novel， written beautifully。 Can't recommend any higher。 Wonderfully dark and light in equal measure。 Jacqueline Maley is one of the country's best columnists and commentators and she is clearly now a brilliant novelist。 Intelligent and gripping novel， written beautifully。 Can't recommend any higher。 Wonderfully dark and light in equal measure。 Jacqueline Maley is one of the country's best columnists and commentators and she is clearly now a brilliant novelist。 。。。more

Jordan ，

I'll keep this short and sweet。。。 I couldn't put this down。 The plot had me pinned。 I found the character development grand， the writing was real - all of it tied together in a good form of chaos with clever surprises along the way （like our real introduction to Ben）。 All I could do whilst I was at work， throughout the period of reading The Truth About Her， was think about Suzy and what might happen next。 I finished the book feeling as if I know her - and that I am her friend。 And I'm thinking a I'll keep this short and sweet。。。 I couldn't put this down。 The plot had me pinned。 I found the character development grand， the writing was real - all of it tied together in a good form of chaos with clever surprises along the way （like our real introduction to Ben）。 All I could do whilst I was at work， throughout the period of reading The Truth About Her， was think about Suzy and what might happen next。 I finished the book feeling as if I know her - and that I am her friend。 And I'm thinking about her still。 That， my fellow readers， is a sign of an incredibly built character and a stellar work of fiction。 To Kimberley from Harper Collins， thank you for the advanced copy。 The customers at my bookstore will be anticipating its release！ 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Truth About Her

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Truth About Her&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Truth About Her&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0