Another Friday, another book review! I’m linking up with First Line Friday, hosted by Hoarding Books every Friday. Head over to the linkup if you want to read more first lines! 🙂 Today I’m sharing a book by a new-to-me author, David Rawlings. Keep reading for my review!
“Eighty-eight years of life reduced to a vintage, cracked briefcase sat before Daniel Whiteley.”
The Camera Never Lies by David Rawlings
The Basics
Title: The Camera Never Lies
Author: David Rawlings
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
From the Back Cover: Daniel, Kelly, and Milly appear to be the perfect family. But an old camera will expose secrets no one wants developed.
Daniel Whitely is a successful marriage counselor and bestselling author, yet his own marriage is in crisis and his daughter is drifting further away each day. To make matters worse, the deadline for his second book has come and gone, and he still hasn’t written a single word.
When Daniel inherits an old camera from his grandfather, he notices an inscription on the bottom: “No matter what you think you might see, the camera never lies.”
Daniel begins using the camera, but every time he develops his photos, they threaten to reveal secrets that could sabotage both his marriage and his career—exposing him as a fraud and destroying the life he has worked so hard to build.
He’s faced with a choice: keep his secrets and save his career or come clean and possibly save his family. Which will he choose? Which would you choose?
My Thoughts
This is a unique story, with a bit of a supernatural/allegorical element. While the story centers on Daniel, a marriage counselor, and his struggling family, the “main character” is definitely the camera! It only takes pictures that show the truth – the real truth about its subjects’ thoughts, feelings, and motives, even and especially when the truth is not visible on the surface. The story deals with themes of honesty, trust, and family in a fresh, thought-provoking way. It’s an easy, enjoyable read, perfect for curling up by the fire with this winter!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
What’s the first line in the book you’re currently reading? Let me know in the comments and head over to the linkup on Hoarding Books for more!
Happy Friday! I’m looking forward to reading The Camera Never Lies. It’s on my TBR stack. Today I’m sharing the first lines from Stong Brave Loved by Holley Gerth: “If you ever get a little tired of life’s battles, this is for you.”
https://moments-of-beauty.blogspot.com/2019/12/first-line-fridays-strong-brave-loved.html
I’m sharing the first line of Chapter 5 in Echoes Among The Stones by Jaime Jo Wright (since others also chose this book today) :
It was a cavern of hollow memories that ricocheted off dark walls, repeating themselves over and over until Imogene wished to clap her hands over her ears and scream the remembrances into silence