I wasn’t quite sure which folder to put this in, as it is billed as a sharp, psychological thriller, but is anything but. The cover promised much, as did the blurb, but I was quite underwhelmed. If you are wanting a thriller give it a miss.
It was beautifully written, but I expected more drama and suspense from a thriller. What I got was a domestic, angst ridden, breakdown of a marriage with little plotline to speak of. Perhaps it was me just expecting it to be something it clearly wasn’t, but I felt it was falsely represented. In that way maybe it reflected one of the themes of the book, that people and situations are often not what you perceive them to be.
Occasionally, the suspense did start to build, and I thought “here we go”, only for it to fall flat again. I was particularly disappointed in the ending. I was hoping she was going a grow a backbone, but no, alas it wasn’t to be.
I found Nick totally obnoxious, but I had no sympathy for Karen despite her breakdown. Not only did she allow her husband and son to treat her badly, but she played the victim with everyone. She really is one of the villains of the piece and got what she deserved. After all, when a man marries his mistress it creates a job vacancy, so what did she expect?
There were some nicely drawn characters and I was particularly fond of the neighbour, Cathy. In fact, I think I would rather have read the tale of her back story, as I found her much more interesting.
Sex scenes, I could have done without, even though it did reinforce the feeling of power he had over her. Her interaction and relationships with others, nope, very self centered and unaware of other’s feelings.
In a sentence; a disappointing read but nicely written.
It was beautifully written, but I expected more drama and suspense from a thriller. What I got was a domestic, angst ridden, breakdown of a marriage with little plotline to speak of. Perhaps it was me just expecting it to be something it clearly wasn’t, but I felt it was falsely represented. In that way maybe it reflected one of the themes of the book, that people and situations are often not what you perceive them to be.
Occasionally, the suspense did start to build, and I thought “here we go”, only for it to fall flat again. I was particularly disappointed in the ending. I was hoping she was going a grow a backbone, but no, alas it wasn’t to be.
I found Nick totally obnoxious, but I had no sympathy for Karen despite her breakdown. Not only did she allow her husband and son to treat her badly, but she played the victim with everyone. She really is one of the villains of the piece and got what she deserved. After all, when a man marries his mistress it creates a job vacancy, so what did she expect?
There were some nicely drawn characters and I was particularly fond of the neighbour, Cathy. In fact, I think I would rather have read the tale of her back story, as I found her much more interesting.
Sex scenes, I could have done without, even though it did reinforce the feeling of power he had over her. Her interaction and relationships with others, nope, very self centered and unaware of other’s feelings.
In a sentence; a disappointing read but nicely written.