“The truth changes everything. There’s such an awful intimacy to it, a banality even. Perhaps this is why the one time I actually, publicly, tell the truth, and not just to this room of forty or so people, but to the hundreds and thousands beyond it, I am accused by the media of delivering a carefully scripted performance. The performance of a lifetime.”
If you enjoy reading about scandals and modern 20th-century British history, this addictive read could be for you. I feel this quote completely sums up the storyline’s base—that many people don’t necessarily want to know the truth of a situation, instead hoping that facts will become obscured in the name of drama and storytelling.
A bit about Becky by Sarah May
Sarah May has cleverly taken a classic—Vanity Fair by William Thackeray —and added some of the biggest headlines of the last 30 years, creating a new modern story that many will enjoy.
Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
To begin with, Becky appears to be a story of one young girl’s struggles to navigate life, firstly as part of a twosome with her mother that is plagued by mental health issues and then, after losing her mother, as a young adult trying to find her place in the world. And it is a true rags-to-riches story, similar to the original Vanity Fair plot, but there is also an undertone, highlighting many of the difficulties faced today – gender inequality, an obsession with celebrities and trying to be just like them, how corruption is still rife in politics, and the vast disparity between those with money and those currently grappling with the rising costs of living.
However, this isn’t a happy-ever-after story. Instead, Sarah May has cleverly threaded in stories that became monumental moments in British history – the horrendous death of a princess, a shamed royal, a murdered child, and the downfall of a disgraced tabloid newspaper where journalists had to face up to their actions in court. In fact, you could mirror Becky to some degree on a famed redhead known for her ruthless – Rebekah Brooks.
Becky by Sarah May
My Thoughts on Becky
A friend recommended this, so of course, I was going to pick up a copy. I have to say that, on the whole, I did enjoy this book, although, at times, it fell a bit flat. There were some chapters that I flew through and some that seemed too stagnant.
I can’t lie: I enjoyed the chapters that offered drama and perhaps reminded me of events that have taken place because I wanted to see how May would position some of the most heart-wrenching episodes in recent history is not only a way that would capture and hook the reader, but do so in such-a-way that would not hurt those that were affected by these events. Ok, so they were not named, and events were never explicitly linked with real-life events, but anyone reading this can easily detect what is being referred to.
I also had mixed feelings about the main character, Becky, but is that the sign of a good writer? Sometimes, I felt for her, willing her to succeed, while at other times, I hoped that someone would come along and slap her in the hope that she would realise just how loathsome she had become. However, there was also a ruthlessness to her that only got more severe the more she achieved, similar in character to many who triumph.
Sarah May has succeeded in reminding readers about some of the worst moments in press history, which can only be a good thing. She recalls the atrocious behaviour of the paparazzi, whose actions ultimately led to the death of a princess in France. She highlights how, after a major phone-tapping scandal which involved celebrities, royalty and families of murdered children, everyone began to distrust media outlets finally seeing them for what many of them truly are – not reporters of news but shameless gossip mongers who feel nothing when intruding on the lives of those suffering. The author did this fantastically well, forcing us to question why we really believe what is written or said to us by trusted reporters.
Would I recommend it to others? Yes, for the simple reason that it’s a unique way to reframe an old story. Vanity Fair may have inspired this storyline, and the themes may be very similar, but I don’t believe anyone else would have considered the same subject matter in the retelling, making Becky a modern-day novel in its own right.
Have you read Becky or a similar novel that you would recommend to others?
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