Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Psychological Fiction
FIVE STARS * * * * *
TRIGGER WARNINGS: Child abuse and animal cruelty
My best psychological thriller read of the year so far! This book is not for everyone but if you like to hang on every word of a story, feel scared, psyched out, emotionally twisted, nervous and completely hooked, then this is the book for you. It's the first psychological thriller that I've read in a long time that made the hairs on my arms stand up...and that's what I think this genre is all about!
Synopsis
Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that’s missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own.
But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie’s true nature.
Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah’s attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie’s behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie’s past may be enough to push them all over the edge.
My thoughts
I couldn't put this down, I was squirming and nervous throughout; on the edge of my seat/sofa/bed/mentally pretty much from the first chapter, wondering where this story was going to lead. Somehow the author instilled a sense of dread in me that just wouldn't go away! For me that is the ultimate gift an author can give a reader - a journey that grips you. That's not just for this genre, but any genre and in this case I was gripped by dread and the unravelling of the impending story.
The story is narrated through the perspectives of three characters; Christopher and Hannah, who take in Janie, as well as Piper, their social worker. This triangulation of perspectives works really well to make you feel emotionally torn. Is Christopher just blind to the issues facing the family and in particular, Hannah? Is Hannah over-reacting and under-prepared in her responsibilities towards Janie? Has Piper misjudged the family completely? And why was Janie abandoned in the first place? I was forever wondering what Janie might do next and how it would impact the family.
Initially I wanted more from the ending. However, I think this was because the story was so compelling and nerve-wracking that I wanted a pretty bow to tie it up with. On reflection, this kind of story was never going to be wrapped up this way. I have unanswered questions and thoughts which seem a fitting legacy to this story. I'd love to discuss them with anyone after they have read the book. Overall, a truly magnificent read.
About the author
Dr. Lucinda Berry is a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. Now, she spends her days writing full-time where she uses her clinical experience to blur the line between fiction and nonfiction. She enjoys taking her readers on a journey through the dark recesses of the human psyche. If she’s not chasing her eleven-year-old son around, you can find her running the streets of Los Angeles prepping for her next marathon.
As taken from Lucinda Berry's author website.
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