The It Girl - Ruth Ware

I'm a fan of Ruth Ware's writing. I don't even bother reading the flyleaf before jumping in - I just know I'm in for a great tale! Her new book is The It Girl. 

There's one on every campus - an 'It Girl' - popular, vivacious and somewhat catty. That describes April Clarke-Cliveden to a tee. And on the other side of the coin is her uncertain, quiet, studious new roommate, Hannah Jones, at Oxford. They're chalk and cheese, but strike up an unlikely friendship. Hannah also comes to know and become a part of a group of April's friends.

Hannah is the voice of this book. We see everything through her eyes in 'before' and 'after' chapters that span ten years. What event has Hannah marking time like this? It's the death of her friend April (not a spoiler as this is in the publisher's description) And the now is that the man associated with her death has died and a reporter is digging up the past. I love back and forth narratives, being left hanging at the end of a chapter. It makes for a lot of one more chapter' listening. 

Hannah is uncertain is so many ways - what is her own place in the group of friends, her marriage, her own self worth, her work and more. She questions every little bit of the past and begins to doubt what she thought was the truth. And how does that affect the present.....

I chose to listen to The It Girl. The narrator was Imogen Church, a favorite of mine. She's come up with voices that are absolutely perfect for the characters. Hannah's voice is hesitant, deferring to stronger personalities. April's voice is by turns, haughty, derisive, needling, but also kind. A few times I could hear a 'valley girl' tone. There are other female characters and quite a few male players as well. Church provides a different tone for each that makes it easy to know who is speaking. Church's voice is easy to understand, with clear diction and a perfect reading speed. I thought she captured and presented Ware's book very well. She brings the emotions and actions of the book to life. I know I became more immersed in this book by choosing to listen.