One Step Too Far (Seskis)

One Step Too Far 
Tina Seskis, 2014 (UK); 2015 (US)
HarperCollins
304 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062340078


Summary
An intricately plotted thriller from a major new voice in suspense fiction that will keep you guessing to the very end.

A happy marriage. A beautiful family. A dream home. So what makes lawyer Emily Coleman get up one morning and walk right out of her life to start again as someone new?

Deliberately losing herself in London, Emily quickly transforms herself into Cat. She finds a room in a shared house in North London, and a job as a receptionist at a hip advertising agency. Finding easy kinship with the fun-loving Angel, her new best friend, Cat begins to live on the edge, giddy with the euphoria of freedom.

Cat has buried any trace of her old self so well, no one knows how to find her. But she can't bury the past. And she cannot outrun the ghosts that haunt her. And soon, she'll have to face the truth of what she's done—a shocking revelation that may push her one step too far. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Where—Hampshire, England, UK
• Education—University of Bath
• Currently—lives in North London, Engnald


Seskis was born in Hampshire, England and grew up in an atmosphere of self-help. Her father among other things built a boat in the front garden on their commuter belt housing estate and took them all over the world with his free air travel and limited budget.

She tried selling bacon butties with her granny in the Halfway Hut at Wentworth Golf Club and door-to door encyclopedia selling in the US before settling down to study business at the University of Bath.

After university, she went on to work in marketing and advertising for more than 20 years and it was this experience which stood her in good stead when she found herself with a book to market. This was a book which she'd had the idea for whilst on holiday in Venice. Here's its brilliant starting-point:

It's funny how easy it is, when it really comes down to it, to get up from your life and begin a new one. All you need is enough money to start you off, and a resolve to not think about the people you're leaving behind.

The writing went swimmingly and soon she had a manuscript to sell. But life doesn't necessarily go according to plan and seven literary agents turned her down, so at the end of 2011 she decided to go it alone: "I worked out the pros and cons of starting up my own company and there were so many more pros, I thought if I do it and fail, at least I've tried."

This is where her marketing knowledge really helped, as she knew how to publicise her book and has been remarkably successful in building its sales. Within a year she had sold 100,000 ebook copies and 10,000 in hardback and she's just got herself an agent and signed a three-book deal with Penguin.

So what's the second secret of her success? The book has had stunning reviews, and is a genuinely page-turning commercial novel, as its numerous reviews suggest. (Used with permission from Writers Services.*)

Visit the "Success Stories" series on Writers Services.

Book Reviews
Tine Seskis’ twisted psychological thriller keeps readers guessing at Emily’s secrets until the end.
Us Weekly


An evocative, skillful novel about the price of escape, and a very promising debutBritish author Seskis expertly depicts the new life of a runaway wife.... Individual readers will have to decide whether the secret that drives the plot, once it’s revealed, is sufficiently shocking.... [A] diverting read.
Publishers Weekly


Seskis's debut psychological thriller is off and running from the very first page.... The author's use of this technique propels the plot by leaving the reader unsettled and on edge, eager for more information.... [F]or readers...willing to invest the time to reflect on its significance once the destination is reached. —Nancy McNicol, Hamden P.L., CT
Library Journal


Debut novelist Seskis displays a keen sense of pacing ... and her backstories on Emily’s family are vivid yet done with great economy. ...Seskis hooks readers from the outset while also spelling out the high emotional costs of abandoning loved ones. A skillfully done novel by a writer to watch.
Booklist


The author reveals Emily’s motivations for leaving her family with great patience and narrative skill....excellent dramatic pacing, dialogue and prose..., culminating in poignant concluding chapters which examine Emily’s decisions without sentimentality. An evocative, skillful novel.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Can anything justify a mother leaving her child? How did this affect your view of Emily throughout the novel?

2. Angel is the only character who knows both "Cat Brown" and the real Emily. Which personality did you connect more strongly to?

3. How far did the aesthetic description of Finsbury Park Palace affect your views about its occupants? What impression of London are you left with?

4. What do you think are Angel’s motivations in life? How did her relationship with Anthony alter your initial opinion of her?

5. There are four strong, but very different female characters (Frances, Emily, Caroline, and Angel) in this story. What makes each woman finally walk away from some part of their lives?

6. Did Emily’s personality change irreparably on 6th May 2010 in Chorlton, or is she still fundamentally the same person?

7. How did you feel when the truth about Emily’s past was revealed?

8. Ben and Emily found different ways of coping with the accident. Did you sympathise more with one than the other?

9. Emily says, "Don’t wish for too much, don’t expect too much, life doesn’t work like that." Is she right?

10. A lot of the characters are dealing with addictions in one way or another. How far do these addictions define their personalities?

11. Emily was discovered under tragic and shocking circumstances, but can people ever walk out of their lives completely, without leaving a trace?

12. The author wrote One Step Too Far as a love story. What do you think will happen next? Do Emily and Ben have happy ending?
(Questions issued by the publisher.)

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