O'Donovan’s penetrating first-person point of view reflects on her harrowing journey to clear her name—and the mistaken debt—in suspenseful tones as the HMRC intensifies its pursuit, and readers will experience mounting irritation and escalating fear right alongside her. What starts as a possible scam quickly swells to an all-out fight for survival, and O’Donovan candidly lays out the emotions that accompany that battle, sharing the hate mail she received after HMRC named her "a criminal and massive tax defaulter," the dead ends she hit when trying to get to the bottom of the claims, and her demoralizing treatment as “guilty until proven innocent.” Her experiences drive her resolve to uphold “our human right to be presumed innocent… [and] fix the foundations of our democracy and protect our way of life.”
That crusade to fully protect innocence in a system that sometimes falls short propels the memoir, as O’Donovan peels back layers of a shocking nightmare that has the potential to happen to anyone. Her uphill battle to gain justice makes for a riveting tale, one she recounts with grace and a relatable, living narrative. She closes with an analysis of “the cost of HMRC getting it wrong” and a taste of the legal documentation she navigated throughout the process.
Takeaway: Chilling story of one woman’s battle against mistaken identity.
Comparable Titles: Anthony Ray Hinton's The Sun Does Shine, Yusef Salaam's Better, Not Bitter.
Production grades
Cover: A-
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: B+
Marketing copy: B+
Written with sincerity and balance, Gabrielle exposes how a toxic culture at His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is conspiring against the vulnerable and harming the welfare of a great many individuals, highlighting the plight of the many who feel alone and are suffering in silence. In this gripping account, Gabrielle lays bare why only a UK Taxpayer Bill of Rights will set the right tone at state level and lead to much-needed culture change at HMRC. A must-read for any UK taxpayer.
