Book Review: Truth Be told by Kia Abdullah.

Available here

I read the first Zara Kaleel book, Take It Back, by Kia Abdullah last year and loved it and have been desperate to read Truth Be Told. Let me just state here, right now, that the wait has been well worth it. I can assure you, you will not be disappointed with this novel.

Here's the blurb
ARE YOU READY TO START THIS CONVERSATION?

Kamran Hadid feels invincible. He attends Hampton school, an elite all-boys boarding school in London, he comes from a wealthy family, and he has a place at Oxford next year. The world is at his feet. And then a night of revelry leads to a drunken encounter and he must ask himself a horrific question.

With the help of assault counsellor, Zara Kaleel, Kamran reports the incident in the hopes that will be the end of it. But it’s only the beginning…

My Thoughts

Hats off to Abdullah, for she really addresses topics that are often taboo in society and what's more important is that she addresses them in a nuanced , intelligent manner. During the reading of Truth Be Told, I found myself in an emotional spin. One minute I was raging at the toxic masculinity that makes the writing of this kind of novel so necessary. The next I was in frustrated tears at the unjustness of the young boys' situations. 

Her exploration of these very sensitive issues was beautifully drawn - whilst not holding back, she offered a well rounded discussion of these very pertinent matters. 

Through dialogue, Abdullah effectively offers the reader many different perspectives on the subject of Kamran's case and I think that was a really skillful way to address different viewpoints. It allows the reader to question the'r own belief system and offers a series of 'What if's ...' that make the discussion real. 

In terms of the ending, I should have expected it - the clues were all there - but Abdullah made a couple of really brave decisions, that made that particular ending the only viable one. 

Alongside her treatment of the issues of bullying, male rape, homophobia , teen mental health and toxic masculinity, we see Zara grow as a character. Her relationship with her family is evolving and this is lovely to read.  Her sense of self and the after effects of the previous case she was part of in Take It Back, is changing and it shows the progression of the series.

I'm already looking forward to wherever Zara takes us next. 

Author Bio

Kia Abdullah is an author and travel writer from London. She has contributed to The New York Times, The Guardian, BBC and Lonely Planet, and is the founding editor of outdoor travel blog Atlas & Boots, read by 250,000 people a month. Kia's new novel, Truth Be Told, is out now (HQ/HarperCollins, Sep 2020).