Consistent with her existing catalogue, Verity is underpinned by Colleen Hoover’s strange obsession with entangling violence and romance in the name of entertainment. This time, the ‘It Ends With Us’ author ventures into new territory and utilizes the psychological thriller genre as her conduit for grossly mishandling sensitive topics. For better or worse, Amazon MGM Studios is adapting the Gone Girl-esque novel into a movie, and with the enticing cast line up of Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett, you may find yourself considering if Verity is worth a read.
What is Verity About?
Verity is centred around three characters: bereaved husband and wife, Verity and Jeremy Crawford, and our highly unlikeable protagonist Lowen Ashleigh. When Verity is disabled in a mysterious car accident following the tragic passing of her twin daughters, struggling author Lowen is approached to complete Verity’s best-selling book series. Incentivised by a life changing pay-check and a rapidly escalating infatuation with Jeremy, Lowen accepts.
When sifting through Verity’s office at the Crawford home in hopes of finding any material to facilitate the writing job she now faces, Lowen unexpectedly discovers Verity’s unpublished autobiography. Propelled by an obsession with Verity and a growing desire for the woman’s husband, Lowen delves into both the manuscript and the couple’s lives, in doing so learning sick and twisted truths about the family whose home she is staying in and the tragedies of their past.
What is the Message of Verity?
Verity explores the truth as a matter of perception and choice. Throughout the book, we follow Lowen’s inner monologue as she is faced with complex moral dilemmas and watch how she chooses to manipulate various versions of the truth for the sake of her conscience and to fit her motives.
Is Verity Spicy?
Yes, like Colleen Hoover’s other novels, Verity contains several intimate scenes between Jeremy and Verity and Jeremy and Lowen. The book is best described as a horror romance, given that the sex scenes become increasingly unbearable and more disturbing than sexy in the context of the chilling storyline.
Is Verity Worth the Read?
Hoover’s primitive writing is as uncomfortable as the unnerving topics the controversial author explores in Verity, and to add insult to injury, the plot twist that promises to leave you reeling is far overshadowed by the number of plot holes. That being said, as a thriller, Verity is entertaining, addictive, and full of suspense, whilst also being a very short book you could easily read in a day. Particularly if you have any appetite to watch the film, which is rumoured to be released in 2025 or 2026, Verity is definitely worth a read.
