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Imperfect Women

On sale

20th August 2020

Price: £12.99

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Selected: Hardcover / ISBN-13: 9781409196082

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YOU’D DO ANYTHING FOR YOUR FRIENDS. BUT WOULD YOU TELL THEM THE TRUTH?

‘Love this book’ Elisabeth Moss, star of The Handmaid’s Tale
‘Rare and complex’ Marian Keyes
‘A dark, delicious thriller. I loved it.’ Louise O’Neill, author of Only Ever Yours
‘Immersive and unsettling.’ Sarah Vaughn, author of Anatomy of a Scandal
‘I read this in no time. An excellent twist.‘ Dorothy Koomson, author of The Ice Cream Girls
‘Beautifully written … should not be missed’ Samantha Downing, author of My Lovely Wife
‘Immersive, intelligent and gripping’ S.E. Lynes, author of Mother

Nancy, Eleanor and Mary met at college and have been friends ever since, through marriages, children and love affairs.

Eleanor is calm and driven, with a deep sense of responsibility, a brilliant career and a love of being single and free – despite her soft spot for her best friend’s husband.

Mary is deeply intelligent with a love of learning, derailed by three children and a mean, demanding husband – she is now unrecognisable to herself and her friends.

Nancy is seemingly perfect: bright, beautiful and rich with an adoring husband and daughter – but beneath the surface her discontent is going to affect them all in terrible ways.

When Nancy is murdered, Eleanor and Mary must align themselves to uncover her killer. And as each of their stories unfold, they realise that there are many different truths to find, and many different ways to bring justice for those we love…

Everyone wants a perfect life. But there is no such thing…

Reviews

Sarah Vaughn
A psychological thriller in the truest sense of the word: a thoughtful examination of the psyche of three credible women with baggage and flaws. So much will resonate: not least Hall's exploration of gender politics and motherhood. At points I was folding pages repeatedly. Deeply unsettling. Recommended.
Dorothy Koomson
A brilliant exploration of the secrets and hidden lives womn create for themselves as they try to navigate their way through life. The friendships are real and touching, the relationships are consuming and passionate. I read this in no time and really enjoyed the pace, flow and insights Araminta writes about. A fabulous novel of modern love, life and people, with an excellent twist.
Dolly Wells
Imperfect Women is a painfully honest, haunting portrait of friendship, betrayal, marriage and disappointment. While Hall is able to keep you on the edge of your seat (and awake much later than you should be) she can also make you weep, such is her insight and lack of judgement of the human condition. A beautiful book that will stay with me for a very long time.
Samantha Downing
'A stunning, dark novel about who women want to be and the reality of who they are. Beautifully written, thought-provoking and should not be missed.
Laura Wilkinson
Dark, visceral, proper psychological thriller with a powerful feminist agenda.
Sarah Hilary
It's been clear from the start that Araminta Hall has a talent for telling unpalatable truths and Imperfect Women is no exception. Expertly peels the layers from the everyday lies we tell each other, and ourselves
Simon Lelic
Beautifully written and expertly structured - a masterclass in psychological thriller writing.
S.E. Lynes
An immersive, intelligent and gripping exploration of the deep wells of female friendship and what it means to be a woman in a world made by and for men. Hall gives us three flawed female characters and shows how their expectations of life are thwarted in different ways, exploring their relationships and enticingly messy behaviour with compassion, even in the darkest of deeds.
Philippa East
A stunning example of the new breed of "psychological thriller" with a deep dive into the conflicted worlds of three brilliantly-drawn female characters, irradiated by a terrible crime. A pitch-perfect, meticulously-observed and utterly absorbing novel.
Harriet Tyce
A slow-burning, tense build to a furious conclusion. Female friendships and the compromises women make are explored in stark detail, and through three different perspectives the story develops to a pleasing and very just ending. It's great.
Marian Keyes
Rare and very refreshing ... a novel where middle-aged women are represented in all their wise, sensual, flawed complexity. I enjoyed it SO much
Caroline Hulse
A dark take on friendship and festering secrets that had me turning pages well into the night.
Liv Matthews
Toxic relationships, crushed hopes & rebuilding yourself from rock bottom... a fabulous novel.
Julie Cohen
A tense psychological story about female friendship and bad choices.
Nikki Smith
A perfect slow burning thriller that beautifully dissects the complexities of female friendship and the choices women make.
Cara Hunter
Not only a deeply satisfying psychological thriller but an insightful and sometimes disquieting exploration of relationships, families and the challenges and pressures confronting women today.
Jo Spain
A brilliantly unsettling exploration of secrets and lies.
Laura Jane Williams
A psychological page-turner of a story that deftly explores the dark and confronting dualities of womanhood. I read hungrily it in a day.
Paul Burston
The story of three female friends and the equally imperfect men in their lives. It's about deception, disappointment & murder. It's also about female friendship and platonic love, which cuts through the darkness. Gripping stuff!
Louise O'Neill
A dark, delicious thriller which holds the complexity of female friendship at its heart. I loved it.
Steph McGovern
A cracking read.
Heat Magazine
With three relatably flawed heroines, this is complex, timely and addictive.
Best
An unsettling tale of betrayal and the bonds between women.
Bella
The book of the summer.
Woman's Weekly
Guilt, retribution, love and betrayal all play a role in a haunting read
Woman
A suspenseful, dark, psychological thriller