Marianne Perry's Blog - Posts Tagged "abuse"
Book Comments: Never Let You Go
Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens is a suspense/thriller about thirty-nine year old Lindsey Nash and a mysterious stalker who attempts to destroy her life. The survivor of an abusive marriage, her ex-husband, Andrew was sent to prison after being convicted of vehicular manslaughter. Lindsey had drugged him in order to escape with their daughter, Sophie but without imagining he'd regain consciousness and drive. As such, she carries guilt for the woman killed. When the book opens, she and her now teenage daughter, are trying to make a life; after Andrew is released from prison, however, bad things start to happen.
As twists and turns play out, the reader is left to wonder the identity of the stalker. Is it Andrew; Jared, Sophie's possessive boyfriend; Greg, Lindsey's romantic interest with whom she breaks up during the course of the story; or perhaps, Marcus, the therapist who volunteers at her support group. At various points, I thought it might have been any of them. The revelation is a shocker and though the reader is relieved he is found out, the extenuating circumstances stir our empathy as well.
Chevy Stevens does an excellent job of depicting the mother-teen daughter relationship and the tensions/conflicts when a child transitioning to adulthood. Also, the myriad feelings Lindsey experiences processing her emotions towards Andrew: anger and rage yet a sense of gratitude for her daughter.
There are forty-seven chapters in this book; it is divided into three parts and spans a twenty year period beginning prior to Lindsey's marriage and culminating in 2017 when Sophie begins college. Both Lindsey and Sophie narrate and the story unfolds in a non-linear style so that we learn about the past while the present in process. Well-paced, the backstory never overwhelms the action or diminishes the suspense.
A top notch novel, Chevy Stevens ends with a letter of thanks from Sophie to her mother dated December 2017; four months into her first year of college. It is poignant and elevates Never Let You Go to one of those books that linger in a reader's mind and heart for a long time.
A terrific read and an author whose other books I will read.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
As twists and turns play out, the reader is left to wonder the identity of the stalker. Is it Andrew; Jared, Sophie's possessive boyfriend; Greg, Lindsey's romantic interest with whom she breaks up during the course of the story; or perhaps, Marcus, the therapist who volunteers at her support group. At various points, I thought it might have been any of them. The revelation is a shocker and though the reader is relieved he is found out, the extenuating circumstances stir our empathy as well.
Chevy Stevens does an excellent job of depicting the mother-teen daughter relationship and the tensions/conflicts when a child transitioning to adulthood. Also, the myriad feelings Lindsey experiences processing her emotions towards Andrew: anger and rage yet a sense of gratitude for her daughter.
There are forty-seven chapters in this book; it is divided into three parts and spans a twenty year period beginning prior to Lindsey's marriage and culminating in 2017 when Sophie begins college. Both Lindsey and Sophie narrate and the story unfolds in a non-linear style so that we learn about the past while the present in process. Well-paced, the backstory never overwhelms the action or diminishes the suspense.
A top notch novel, Chevy Stevens ends with a letter of thanks from Sophie to her mother dated December 2017; four months into her first year of college. It is poignant and elevates Never Let You Go to one of those books that linger in a reader's mind and heart for a long time.
A terrific read and an author whose other books I will read.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
A Stranger in the House
Book Comment: A Stranger in the House by Shari Lapena
Karen and Tom Krupp are a thirty-something two-year married couple living in trendy New York State. She leaves her home hastily one evening and has a vehicular accident in a “questionable” neighborhood resulting in her suffering amnesia. She is eventually linked to a murder in this area.
Across the street from where they reside are Brigid and Bob Cruickshank. Brigid had an affair with Tom prior his marriage. With this unknown to Karen, she and Brigid become best friends. Brigid's inability to bear a child and her stalking the Krupp's adds another twisted element to this compelling murder mystery.
As the novel unfolds, we learn Tom knew scant about Karen's past when they wed. It is revealed she changed her name and identity plus faked her death to escape an abusive marriage. The murder victim is confirmed to be her first husband, Robert Traynor.
Brigid appears to have followed Karen the night of her accident and witnessed what happened. As the book progresses, Karen's version clashes with Brigid's and nothing at all is at it seems! Every character is shown to be someone else and every incident or detail is turned on its head.
Shari Lapena's prose is spare. With minimal description, imagery or backstory, this is a clean, clinical and sharp plot-driven novel. The action clips and as soon as the reader believes “she's got it,” Lapena pulls the proverbial rug from under our feet. The detectives Rasbach and Jennings are effective agents through which readers can state their assumptions and Lapena then refutes.
The resolutions to the various conflicts are unexpected but the concluding chapters, satisfying and logical. The title is brilliant for the person I believed “The stranger in the House” at the beginning was different than the one revealed at the end. Shari Lapena has penned a great goodread.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
Karen and Tom Krupp are a thirty-something two-year married couple living in trendy New York State. She leaves her home hastily one evening and has a vehicular accident in a “questionable” neighborhood resulting in her suffering amnesia. She is eventually linked to a murder in this area.
Across the street from where they reside are Brigid and Bob Cruickshank. Brigid had an affair with Tom prior his marriage. With this unknown to Karen, she and Brigid become best friends. Brigid's inability to bear a child and her stalking the Krupp's adds another twisted element to this compelling murder mystery.
As the novel unfolds, we learn Tom knew scant about Karen's past when they wed. It is revealed she changed her name and identity plus faked her death to escape an abusive marriage. The murder victim is confirmed to be her first husband, Robert Traynor.
Brigid appears to have followed Karen the night of her accident and witnessed what happened. As the book progresses, Karen's version clashes with Brigid's and nothing at all is at it seems! Every character is shown to be someone else and every incident or detail is turned on its head.
Shari Lapena's prose is spare. With minimal description, imagery or backstory, this is a clean, clinical and sharp plot-driven novel. The action clips and as soon as the reader believes “she's got it,” Lapena pulls the proverbial rug from under our feet. The detectives Rasbach and Jennings are effective agents through which readers can state their assumptions and Lapena then refutes.
The resolutions to the various conflicts are unexpected but the concluding chapters, satisfying and logical. The title is brilliant for the person I believed “The stranger in the House” at the beginning was different than the one revealed at the end. Shari Lapena has penned a great goodread.
Marianne Perry
Writing inspired by genealogical research to solve family mysteries.
www.marianneperry.ca
