Prima Facie – Suzie Miller @squadpod2021 @squadpod3 @alicemaydewing @hutchheinemann @penguinrandomhouse

This is not life. This is law.’

Tessa Ensler is a brilliant barrister who’s forged her career in criminal defence through sheer determination. Since her days at Cambridge, she’s carefully disguised her working class roots in a male-dominated world where who you know is just as important as what you know. Driven by her belief in the right to a fair trial and a taste for victory, there’s nothing Tessa loves more than the thrill of getting her clients acquitted.

It seems like Tessa has it made when she is approached for a new job and nominated for the most prestigious award in her field. But when a date with a charismatic colleague goes horribly wrong, Tessa finds that the rules she’s always played by might not protect her, forcing her to question everything she’s ever believed in . . .

My thoughts

Thank you to The Squadpod and Hutchinson Heineman for my copy of the book which is a March Read with my Squadpod pals.

Tessa is a barrister and unlike some in her chambers she comes from a working class background and has worked exceptionally hard to firstly go to Cambridge and then to the bar. She is a very good Barrister but believes that she is fair also.

In what was a traditionally male and public school education role, Tessa excels in what she does. When a colleague Julian takes a personal interest in her,  she is flattered and excited about what could be.

Julian is old school his father is a KC and Tessa knows he is out of her league.

This is such a compelling read, you really get to know Tessa in the first part of the book and that is why what happens to her is all the more horrific and shocking.  Tessa is raped and because of who rapes her she has to fight against a system that she has always believed that is fair. What happens in the aftermath of the rape is distressing and powerful and emotional.

The book is well written and explains the law and system in real detail. It is a tough read but one that I really wanted to complete as you want Tessa to get justice but know that this may not happen. The book delves into the injustice of the system that women face but also how class plays into that system.

I really want to see the play as courtroom drama that the second half of the book portrays is so engrossing I could not put it down until the conclusion. This is without a doubt a book that has been able to make me feel so angry about a system that fails it’s victim’s over and over again.

A powerful and evocative read. 

5 stars *****