Verity
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Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to Verity
Verity is a psychological romantic thriller novel by Colleen Hoover, first self-published in 2018 and later re-released in 2021. It deviates from Hoover's typical contemporary romance genre, delving into themes of obsession, deception, and the blurred lines between truth and fiction. The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer hired to complete a popular book series for the acclaimed author Verity Crawford, who is incapacitated after an accident. Lowen moves into the Crawford home to sort through Verity's notes, where she uncovers an unfinished autobiography that reveals unsettling and potentially dangerous secrets about Verity's life and her family. The novel is intended for a mature audience due to its explicit and intense content. It navigates a complex narrative, presenting readers with a morally ambiguous situation and unreliable perspectives. This standalone work aims to provide a suspenseful and emotionally charged reading experience, appealing to those who enjoy dark romance with thriller elements.
Things to Consider
Violence
The book contains highly disturbing and graphic depictions of violence, including child abuse, multiple murders, attempted murder, and detailed accounts of physical harm. The violence is central to the psychological thriller aspect of the plot.
Verity's discovered manuscript details her attempts to murder her twin children multiple times in their infancy, and her deliberate act of capsizing a boat to cause her daughter Harper's drowning. Later in the narrative, Jeremy attempts to strangle Verity after discovering her deception. Lowen encourages Jeremy to suffocate Verity to death, making it appear as if she aspirated in her sleep, which Jeremy then carries out.
Romance and Sexual Content
The novel features frequent and explicit sexual content, including detailed descriptions of sexual acts and passionate encounters. There is an 'excessive amount of sex' that some reviewers describe as 'heavy-handed' and 'cheap erotica.'
Profanity
The book utilizes strong and frequent profanity throughout, including a wide range of curse words and instances of taking the Lord's name in vain. This contributes to the mature and gritty tone of the narrative.
Scary & Intense Content
As a psychological thriller, 'Verity' contains consistently scary and intense content, including disturbing psychological themes, graphic imagery, and a pervasive sense of dread. The narrative explores dark aspects of human nature and extreme situations.
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Substance Use
The book contains references to alcohol consumption by adult characters. While not explicitly detailed as abuse, the presence of alcohol use is noted as part of the mature content.
Disrespect & Rebellion
The narrative features significant acts of deception and defiance against societal and moral norms, particularly concerning marital fidelity and trust. Characters actively hide truths and engage in behaviors that subvert expectations.
LGBTQ & Gender Identity
After thorough examination of various sources and specific keyword searches (lgbtq, gay, lesbian, transgender, queer representation, LGBTQ characters, Colleen Hoover lgbtq), no explicit LGBTQ+ characters, themes, or representation were found within the content of 'Verity' itself. The narrative focuses exclusively on heterosexual relationships and gender identities.
Witchcraft & Occult
There is no indication of witchcraft, sorcery, occult practices, or overt supernatural themes within 'Verity.' The narrative's suspense and thrills are rooted in psychological manipulation and dark human nature rather than magical or spiritual elements.
Anti-Christian Themes
The book contains very little spiritual content, and what is present is minimal and does not portray Christianity or religious figures in a positive light. There are no explicit anti-Christian themes or mockery, but rather an absence of positive religious influence.
From a Christian worldview, Colleen Hoover's "Verity" presents a stark contrast to biblical values, primarily due to its core themes and the worldview it champions. The narrative deeply explores truth and deception, blurring the lines between them to such an extent that the reader is left without a clear understanding of reality. This aligns with a relativistic worldview, where objective truth and moral absolutes are absent, contradicting the biblical emphasis on truth as a foundational aspect of God's character and His commands (John 14:6, John 8:32). Character morality is deeply problematic; Lowen and Jeremy engage in an adulterous affair while Verity is incapacitated, and reviews indicate a striking lack of remorse or accountability for their actions, with the book seemingly romanticizing these problematic aspects rather than critiquing them. This directly opposes biblical principles of fidelity, sexual purity, and the consequences of sin (Hebrews 13:4, Proverbs 6:32). The story rewards vice in the sense that morally ambiguous or outright sinful actions often lead to the characters' desired outcomes or are not met with clear, negative repercussions within the narrative. Furthermore, the portrayal of family values in "Verity" is profoundly disturbing. The book challenges idealized notions of maternal love, presenting a horrifying vision of a mother consumed by jealousy and resentment toward her own children, and themes of child abuse are central to the plot. This stands in direct opposition to biblical teachings on the sanctity of family, the responsibilities of parents, and the nurturing love expected within a household (Ephesians 6:4, Titus 2:4-5). Redemption themes, such as sacrifice, forgiveness, or grace, appear notably absent. Instead, the narrative often focuses on manipulation, self-preservation, and the dark consequences of human depravity without offering a clear path toward repentance or moral restoration. There is no indication of faith or Christianity being depicted within the novel itself, thus no respectful or negative portrayal is present; however, Christian reviewers frequently issue strong warnings regarding the book's graphic and morally challenging content, including explicit sex, adultery, and child abuse, making it highly unsuitable for a Christian audience seeking media aligned with their faith.
Additional Context
Best For Ages
This book is recommended for readers aged 18 and older due to its extremely mature content, including graphic sexual encounters, detailed descriptions of violence, child abuse, explicit language, and psychologically disturbing themes.
Good to Know
Parents should be aware that 'Verity' is a dark and intense psychological thriller that contains extremely mature and potentially triggering content. The ambiguous ending leaves readers questioning the truth, adding to the psychological complexity. It is not suitable for younger readers or those sensitive to themes of violence, child abuse, and explicit sexual content.
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