The Great Betrayal Book

Before I begin my review, I would like to mention that I listened to the audiobook version of "The Great Betrayal". I would like to praise the amazing vocal talent of JD Jackson. He is extraordinary! His silky smooth voice and excellent narration, made the book even more enjoyable for me.

Words cannot describe how much I LOVED "The Great Betrayal", and how affected I was by it. I was talking about it at dinner with my parents, and with my best friend on Skype. I think everyone in my life is sick and tired of me talking about it but I just couldn't help myself. I was enthralled from the prologue right up until the epilogue, and to be honest… I still want more.

This is one of the hardest reviews for me to write because I do not like to give spoilers, and I am going to try to remain true to that.

"The Great Betrayal" is a story about relationships, mistakes, and the complexity of human emotions. With Grief, Bitterness, Jealousy, and Love most significantly being explored. All of the characters are complex and deeply DEEPLY flawed. The characters that I was affected by the most were Leslie, Grace, and Luke.

Leslie.

I have noticed that there are readers who don't like Leslie and couldn't forgive her for what she had done. She might be perceived as selfish and weak. I am not going to argue with that. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I definitely see that point of view. I do not believe Leslie did anything with malicious intent. She was a very young woman who was drowning in an unimaginable amount of pain, and because of that pain she made a decision - a decision once made, she felt she couldn't unmake it. That decision, her shame, and then her silence set her on a path that led to heartbreak and even more loss. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her, and I sympathized with her greatly. Were there times I wanted to slap her and shake some sense into her? Yes, of course! I know there are crimes that are difficult to forgive, but I felt like no one even tried to. They just wanted to punish Leslie constantly, and I don't believe she deserved the endless torment she received. And it was endless! I don't think she's the villain of this story. (I'm not sure there really is one..)

Unless you count…

Grace.

I do NOT have the same feeling for Grace that I did for Leslie. Unlike Leslie, Grace did do something with malicious intent so I can't help but perceive her differently. I feel sorry for her pain, BUT she did not have the same kind of upbringing that Leslie had. Grace had a loving and supportive family and a wonderful childhood. I am not saying she didn't earn the right to be hurt by the actions of certain people ' but her life wasn't a bad one. So what she did was so uncalled for. So nasty. So hurtful. So wrong… I just…. couldn't reconcile myself with Grace and what she did at all. She was so angry and I felt it was misdirected. Does she deserve forgiveness? I think so, although I don't know if I could.


Out of all the characters in the novel, the one who fascinated, touched, frustrated, and saddened me the most - was

Luke.

*sigh* As disgusted as I was by what he had done, I did understand the psychology behind it.
He had every right to feel angry, and betrayed - but he just wouldn't allow himself to heal. He was trapped in his own cycle of destruction, moving round and round going nowhere. He festered in his own pain, insecurity and irrational jealousy. Although I am sure he believed he was a victim in this story, he did take part in creating his own hell. Luke couldn't let go. Wouldn't try to understand. Wouldn't move on. And worst of all, wouldn't forgive. Yet at the same time, he wouldn't walk away. Love wouldn't allow him to. And that was probably the most tragic element to Luke's predicament. Although Love wouldn't allow him to walk away, it wasn't strong enough for him to forgive either.
So does Luke deserve forgiveness for what he did? *sigh* He had never been able to give it when it was asked of him, and what he did was far, far worse.

I, like, other readers had a suspicion of what The Great Betrayal would be, and it turned out to be what I had suspected. How it was all uncovered and the emotional turmoil from the discovery had me spellbound. I was literally glued to my seat, I couldn't move and had to find out how the story was going to conclude. The only downside of the novel, for me, was the ending. All of the characters had seemed to have some kind of resolution, with the exception of Leslie. Her ending was very unclear. Therefore the story feels a bit unfinished.

It's been 10+ years since "The Great Betrayal" was published. I, personally, would love to see what happened to these characters 10 years later. Catherine would be in her mid-twenties, did the mistake of her past haunt her into adulthood? What about Grace, she'd be in her 30's… how did she come to grip with her own sins? What about Dawn? Luke? And Leslie? Oh Ms. Black, if you ever consider writing a novella or full-length novel as a followup to this amazing story ' I, for one, would love to read it!


There are books that stay with you weeks, months, and even years after you read them. "The Great Betrayal" is definitely one of those books for me. It had me riveted from beginning to end. I would especially recommend it for bookclubs. There is plenty of material there to spark serious discussion and debate.