Book Extract: The Truth About You by Michael Clark

It’s a pleasure to be welcomng Michael Clark to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for his book, The Truth About You.

Some stories keep us turning the pages, and others leave us wrestling with questions long after we’ve finished. Michael Clark’s The Truth About You manages to do both.

Lucy and Meg believe their mother will finally be safe after her husband, Greg, is arrested for assault. But when she chooses to stay with him, the sisters take drastic action to protect her: installing hidden cameras in their home. What they capture is nothing like what Lucy expects. Instead of clear evidence, the recordings reveal complexities that defy black-and-white assumptions about abuse, loyalty, and justice.

With echoes of Celeste Ng and Miranda Cowley Heller, The Truth About You is a gripping and emotionally charged novel that explores the unsettling gray areas of family, morality, and truth.

Michael has shared an extract from The Truth About You with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

*****beginning of extract*****

Setting: After Greg is arrested for battering his wife, Paula, Paula remains in a relationship with him. Time has passed, and Paula’s friends determine they need to stage an intervention to “hold him accountable.”

*****

Shortly after 7 p.m., Greg and Paula pulled into the driveway in Greg’s SUV. They stayed in the car for several minutes. Stacy peered through the family room curtains to check what was happening. “They’re still sitting in the car,” she reported.

“Is he hitting her?” someone asked.

“No. At least not as far as I can tell,” she said.

“Are they arguing?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Should someone go out there?”

“I’m not sure about that, either.”

Finally, the doors to the SUV opened and Greg and Paula got out. Greg went to the back and started filling his arms with bags from their shopping trip. Paula headed for the kitchen’s side door.

“Are you okay?” Christine asked Paula as she came through the door.

“I’m fine,” Paula said.

“Is Greg coming in?” Julie asked.

“Yes,” Paula answered. “He should be in soon. He’s bringing in the groceries.”

“He knows we’re here?”

“He knows there are several people here, yes.”

“How did you convince him to come in?”

“I told him that if he wants any chance of us staying married, he will come in and listen,” Paula said.

About then, Greg walked into the kitchen, clutching four bags of groceries in each hand. He glanced at the crowd gathering at the other end of the room but said nothing.

“I need to get some of this stuff into the refrigerator and freezer,” he said as he placed the bags on the counter and began unpacking their contents.

An awkward silence fell as he avoided their stares. Others in the group, including Lucy, remained in the family room.

Greg, having stowed away the groceries, glanced at the bystanders. “I’m guessing you’re not here for a party.”

“No, Greg, we’re not,” Denise’s husband, Mark, said. “Why don’t you come into the other room and have a seat? We have something we’d like to talk to you about.”

“I can only imagine what that might be,” Greg grumbled quietly, yet audible to those nearby.

Greg stared at everyone in the family room. He didn’t linger when he spotted Lucy, and she appreciated being bypassed.

An armchair, pulled away from the wall, now sat empty in the center of the room. “Why don’t you sit here,” Mark said, motioning to the chair.

Logan Whitton walked in front of Greg, then sat on the padded arm of the sofa next to his wife. “Listen, Greg, I want you to know that this is as uncomfortable for us as it is for you,” he said.

“I doubt it,” Greg shot back.

Logan ignored his comment. “We’re here because we care about Paula. We care about you, too,” he added as an afterthought, although Greg’s eye roll indicated he found the statement insincere.

“We want you to know that we are aware of what you are doing—”

Greg cut him off. “What am I doing?”

“You’re hurting Paula,” Logan said. “Your constant put-downs, anger, and coercive control are wearing her down and destroying her.”

“Except that I’m not doing that,” Greg defended.

Stacy jumped in. “But you are, and it is hurting your wife. Don’t you care about her?”

“Of course I care about her,” Greg said. “I love her.”

“Well, then, you need to act like it,” Stacy fired back.

At this point, Mark Litchfield stepped in. “I think the message to you, Greg, is that your behavior is not just something you’re doing in the privacy of your home. Other people—your friends—are aware of what’s going on. It’s not a secret anymore.”

“You are all talking about my behavior, except you don’t have a clue what happens between us because you’re not here to see or hear our interactions,” Greg said.

“We do have a clue,” Brenda said. “We understand how these relationships work. You think you’re different and special, but you’re not.”

Greg turned toward Paula. “Do you want to tell your friends that they’re off base?”

Paula glanced at Greg and opened her mouth to respond, but Brenda cut her off. “Stop pressuring your wife to cover for you. That’s abusive and part of the problem.”

Logan got back on the script. “We want you to know that we are aware of what you are doing. You have to stop. We will check with Paula regularly to see how she’s doing and how you are acting.”

“Well, you either didn’t check with her yet, or she’s not telling you the truth,” Greg said, showing his agitation.

“You need to shut up and listen,” Stacy said.

“Listen to you tell me stuff about myself that isn’t true?” Greg asked.

“Shut up! Just shut up!” At this point, Stacy was screaming at Greg.

“Okay, I think we all need to settle down here a bit,” Mark interjected.

“If we hear you are continuing to abuse Paula, we are going to make your life hell,” Logan said.

“Look, I’ve been arrested, kicked out of my home, and lost my job,” Greg said. “What else are you going to do to make it more of a hell than it already is?”

“Shut up!” Stacy screamed. “Can someone tape his mouth shut?”

“You did that to yourself, Greg. You need to take responsibility for the consequences of YOUR actions,” Brenda said, raising her voice and glaring at Greg.

“Apparently, you have not hit rock bottom yet,” Logan said. “If you think your life sucks now, wait until your reputation is destroyed, your wife divorces you, and you are rotting in jail.”

Greg bit his lip for a long moment, then spoke. “Look, I have been working my ass off to understand and change my behavior. And I think I’ve made significant progress. But you people don’t see that, or you refuse to give me credit for it.”

The group sat silently, staring at Greg.

“I’m also working hard to restore the trust that I damaged in my marriage. Having all of you run me down and throw me under the bus when you are talking about me to Paula does not help. Your interference is not making reconciliation any easier, and it’s not welcome.”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Logan said. “Who do you think you are to treat a woman like you have? You have no right. You should be ashamed of yourself. You are a disgrace to men everywhere.”

“You didn’t hear a single thing I said, did you?” Greg asked Logan. Logan turned his head and didn’t respond.

Greg then turned to Paula again. “Are you going to speak up here? Shed a little light and truth into my changes and the state of our marriage?”

Paula glanced at Greg, then studied the others before looking down at the floor and remaining silent.

“Okay, that tells me what I needed to know,” Greg said. At that point, he eyeballed the group and added, “Are we through here?”

There were a few murmurs of, “I guess,” so Greg rose, exited the house to his vehicle, and left.

Paula got up, ran to the window, and watched his car pull away. She pressed her hand to the glass but said nothing. After Greg was out of sight, she used her sleeve to wipe away a tear before turning back toward the group.

*****end of extract*****

About Michael Clark –

Michael Clark brings a rare perspective to his fiction. As the founder of the Ananias Foundation, he has supported thousands of individuals seeking to break free from abusive behaviors.

His voice is deeply informed by lived experience: once a domestic violence offender, he transformed his life and now writes, speaks, and leads from that hard-won place of change. He is also the author of the memoir From Villain to Hero, which candidly shares his personal journey.

With The Truth About You, Clark channels his honesty and compassion into a story that challenges readers’ assumptions and invites reflection.

Connect with Michael via his website and Goodreads. 

Click to buy The Truth About You on Amazon UK, Waterstones and Amazon US. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.