Most books (fiction at least) build suspense by teasing you with an unknown ending. This book didn't really have that option since it's based on real events. instead, Kidman teases us with the smaller details Albert Black's life - which woman he was in love with, how his relationship with Jonny formed and soured, whether or not his mother would be able to see him one last time. For a book about a boy who would be dead by the end of the story, it was surprisingly full of hope. The optimism of the court appeals and his mother's actions were presented without the shadow of what was coming and small moments were made real by the poetry with which Kidman describes the world around each character. It didn't fixate on the morbid details of the murder and the execution, it elaborated on these as much as was necessary to show the complexity of the case for manslaughter rather than murder. It was well-researched and yet had enough elaboration to make the characters surprisingly tangible - I loved her descriptions of Albert's parents being "a singing couple" for example, we all know one of them but I've never heard it described like that.

The only thing which made this 4 stars and not 5 stars for me was the fact that for some reason I wasn't hooked (maybe because I knew the ending?) It was an easy book for me to put down but also one I was happy to come back to. Maybe it's a good choice for people who often procrastinate. Would recommend, especially to nz history buffs.