A novel about reputation, defamation, the exercise and abuse of power - and the pursuit of a fragile truth.
Romola Cross, a lawyer in her late twenties, is starting over following her father's death. Jaded by her work as a criminal defence lawyer in Sydney, she moves to Melbourne to be closer to her best friend, and further away from her judgmental stepmother. She makes what proves to be a life-changing decision - to accept a position at top law firm Bassett Brown, where the clients are household names, and the stakes are higher than she could have ever imagined.
Patrick Payne is the brooding only son of famed property mogul Malcolm Payne. After years spent in his father's shadow, Patrick is trying his luck at politics. But when Patrick's girlfriend Hana is found dead in his home, media reports emerge claiming that Patrick was an abusive partner, and drawing comparisons with the death of his teenage sweetheart many years earlier. At the insistence of his father, Patrick sues for defamation.
With his name in ruins, Patrick becomes Romola's first client. Under the watchful eye of her narcissistic supervising partner, Imogen, Romola sets out to defend his reputation. Drawn into the Paynes' life of privilege, and conflicted by family and client loyalties, Romola confronts the question of how to prove Patrick is a good man without sacrificing all that she holds close.
This whip-smart legal thriller, with a chilling twist, is a thought-provoking commentary on themes that have recently played out in several real-life high-profile defamation trials. She Too takes an unflinching look at the illusory nature of truth, guilt and innocence - and their manipulation by the media, the wealthy, and each one of us, depending on what we want to believe.
