Review: Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson

Mary Addison has spent most of her life in detention facilities for allegedly killing a baby. Sworn to silence on the night of the crime, the then-nine-year-old Mary refused to say what happened to the dead three-month old baby that had been in her mother’s care. Now, several years later, Mary needs to break the silence. When she finds out that she’s pregnant, and that her baby will be taken away because of the crime that led her to be a ward of the state, Mary decides to cast aside the years of silence and speak up. To ensure that another baby she loves is not taken away from her, Mary must bare her darkest secrets, and finally admit what happened all those years ago.

Allegedly is a thrilling and gripping read from the first sentence. Tiffany D. Jackson has an ability to reel a reader in with remarkable ease, making us hang on her every word. Mary’s story is so steeped in taboo and so shrouded in mystery that it is impossible not to want to know the outcome. As Mary’s pregnancy progresses, so does her determination to keep her own child, which leads to agonizing revelations, and desperate attempts at mending a soul long broken, in order to protect her dearest love.

It is unbelievable that Allegedly is Jackson’s first novel; this is a debut written with such sleek prose, and so well-crafted that it’s twists are as shocking as they are unpredictable. Jackson has set a high bar for herself, and for the YA genre as a whole. Her characters exude depth and unpredictability, and her story is gripping, riveting and downright shocking. Allegedly is the kind of book you pick up and only put down again after the final page – and believe me, it will leave you reeling. Smart, dark and addictive, this book is a must-read, and I dare you not to love it.

Allegedly by Tiffany D. Jackson is published by Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers) and is available in South Africa from Jonathan Ball Publishers.