Read This, Not That: Review of TJ Stimpson’s Picture of Innocence

As always, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book, Picture of Innocence by TJ Stimson. 

I really liked this book, but there are some things that I think a reader should know even before they go forward in this review. In addition to the death of an infant, which is a main part of the plot, this book also deals with child abuse, both physical and sexual. It was very hard for me to read and I have never lost a child, so I can’t imagine how hard it would be for someone who has.

That being said, this was a great read. Don’t get me wrong, Maddie was sometimes hard to read and even after the ending, Lucas rubbed me the wrong way. I felt like Maddie was too quick to take the blame for everything and something about her inner weakness was very hard for me to vibe with. I wanted to shake her. Given everything she was dealing with, I’ll be the first person to say that’s probably an unfair reaction; if she was too resilient, it probably would’ve been unbelievable. Lucas seemed like a man’s version of what would be a woman’s ideal man versus what most women really want. Except for the couple times when Stimson was trying to mislead us about who Lucas was and what his character was (specific as I can be without giving spoilers), he just felt so flat, like a cardboard cut out of a man. 

Every other review I have read said that the reader was so shocked by the ending: I wasn’t. By the time I realized “Lydia” was a character who existed in both time streams, but under two different names, I guessed who she was. Ditto to the final twist. There were a LOT of clues and—no shade—it makes me wonder how closely people really read their books these days. Then again, I’ve been told repeatedly that I overthink, so maybe that’s my bad. 

The twist didn’t really matter to me, if I’m being honest. I guess this book ultimately has some elements that would categorize it as a thriller, but that’s not what the book is about. It’s about family, loss, grief, shame, the nature of evil and, ultimately, forgiveness. It’s a very human book that not only kept me turning pages, but kept me reading. This is another must read.

4/5