Book review: No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah

No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah is a hard book to review. Firstly it’s a book within a book. A cop purportedly finds a box containing a manuscript. It was out of order he tells his boss, but he puts it together and discovers it’s about a recent tragedy in the community. One the cop and his boss thought was resolved. However, the manuscript raises a number of questions.

At its most simple, it’s about two neighbouring families – the Lamberts and the Gaveys. Not even warring families, though we learn the daughters didn’t get along. It kicks off with a police officer knocking on the door of the Lamberts following an accusation that the Lamberts’s dog – Champ – has bitten the Gavey’s daughter (Tess).

You think it will never happen to the ring of the bell, the policeman on the doorstep. What he says traps you in a nightmare that starts with the words, 'I'm afraid…'

Sally Lambert is also afraid, and desperate enough to consider the unthinkable. Is it really, definitely, impossible to escape from this horror? Maybe not. There's always something you can do, right?

Of course, no one would ever do this particular something – except the Lamberts, who might have to.

No one has ever gone this far. Until Sally decides that the Lamberts will…

Sally Lambert comes across as an eccentric character, as devoted to Champ (and Champ’s predecessor Furbert), as she is to her husband and son and daughter… well perhaps more-so. In fact, so much so that she decides to go on the run rather than risk anyone taking Champ away. I’m not a pet owner or animal lover so found it hard to relate to the extreme reaction (hence the title of the book also I guess).

What comes next is Sally dragging her family along with her despite the fact that Champ has no history of anger-issues and Sally was in fact walking Champ at the time of the alleged incident. Her husband Mark attempts to have her stay and rebut the accusations but is unable to get through to her.

We then delve into the town of Swaffham Tilney and learn a little more about its residents and their history – including the implosion of the local bookclub. Needless to say residents take sides when it comes to Champ and the accusations.

Complicating factors (which are never explained) is that the Gaveys and Lamberts moved in as neighbours around the same time (relatively recently). And… the two mothers (Sally and Lesley) had a run-in of sorts at the Lamberts’s previous house when it was on the market. It meant I was waiting for some past connection that drew Lesley to the Lamberts – stalking them almost.

The resolution of this is somewhat farcical if it wasn’t also tragic. It involves an online smear campaign and a confession which goes viral. And then… some of the characters get to live happily ever after.

And we return to the manuscript. We learn it’s not exactly accurate and that the author hid certain facts from readers, including their own identity.

Ultimately this felt like a bit of a mish-mash of genres and ideas. There were elements I liked and others that didn’t feel resolved. The level of animosity between some characters was never explained. Having said that it’ll appeal to those who enjoy a twisty read and don’t necessarily need complete closure.

No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah was published by Bedford Square Publishing.

I received an electronic copy of this book from the publishers for review purposes.