PositiveThe New York Times Book ReviewAt first, it seems that this will be a predictable, gratingly cute tale of heartache and betrayal ... But as the story moves briskly forward, Emma’s chapters begin to offer something more involving. Her torturous guilt — she is terrified not only that her secret will be discovered, but that her best friend will finally see her for who she truly is — starts to cast a shadow over the novel’s sunny disposition ... Martin leverages her own background as a doctor to great effect throughout, writing vividly of accidentally sliced intestines and torrents of blood gushing from abdominal incisions. Martin is equally insightful about many aspects of long-term female friendship ... If Martin pulls her punches at the end and closes on a cheerful note more reminiscent of Zadie’s cloying early observations, that doesn’t detract from the haunting exploration of the effects of lifelong shame.
