Verity-Storyline and Book Review

Verity unfolds the gripping tale of bestselling author Verity Crawford, who lies in a coma with a wealth of unfinished novels. Her husband, Jeremy, enlists the help of Lowen, an author in dire financial straits, to complete Verity’s work. Lowen, though uncertain if she can meet the high expectations, eagerly seizes the opportunity, determined not to let this golden chance slip away.

Lowen moves into Jeremey and Verity’s house, ready to sort through years of Verity’s notes. The house that once was alive with the chatter of three young children seems silent and cold. Their two twin daughters are dead, Verity is bedridden, and Jeremey and their son, who is quite lonely and saddened, are the only ones left.

As Lowen rummages through the manuscripts, trying to make sense of Verity’s work, she comes across Verity’s autobiography. Curiosity takes over, and Lowen starts reading Verity’s personal notes about her life, starting from when she met Jeremey, their marriage, kids, etc. Much to her surprise and dismay, Lowen finds out gory details about Verity’s desperate and failed attempt to end her pregnancy, her dislike for one of her daughters, her hand in bringing their life to a tragic end, her obsessiveness with Jeremy, and many more shocking admissions.

Lowen decides to keep all this information to herself, focusing on finishing the job at hand, completing Verity’s books and moving out of the house without getting involved. She is secretly attracted to Jeremy, and Verity’s notes add an angle of sympathy to her feelings for him. She also realises that if she reveals the truth about Verity to Jeremy, he will not love her anymore, making it easier for him to welcome Lowen into his life. As Lowen gets increasingly involved with Jeremy, she also finds herself deeply involved with Verity. Lowen’s doubts about Verity being truly in a coma, fortified by her impression of her as cold-hearted, manipulative and cunning, lead her to get involved in a crime she had neither planned nor imagined.

As the story reaches its climax, Jeremy and Lowen stumble upon a letter penned by Verity to Jeremy. Its contents paint a starkly different picture of her life, a revelation that adds an unexpected and intriguing twist to the narrative!

Colleen Hoover’s Verity is a compelling read, a narrative that keeps you turning the pages with its engaging plot. The conclusion, too, holds its share of interest. These are some of the book’s strong points that will captivate you.

However, there are some negatives too. The first is that the characters are not well-developed. As a reader, I felt unacquainted with Jeremy’s character to like or dislike him. Verity is obsessed with him, and later, Lowen develops an attraction towards him, but the reason is almost unknown. The author hasn’t built Jeremy’s character enough for the reader to justify their liking or empathise with him. The author mentions Lowen’s past several times, but that too seems incomplete and half-baked; the reader can’t identify with her either. Lowen and Jeremy decide to cheat on Verity. There is no regret, remorse, guilt or convincing justification for the same, which gives an unsettling feeling and is certainly disconcerting.

So, all in all, the book was okay. It certainly was engaging, but when you finish it and look back, you can easily identify the gaps. The characters, particularly Jeremy and Lowen, lack depth and development, making it hard for the reader to empathise or connect with them. This lack of connection with the characters is a significant drawback of the book.