Many thanks to The Bookbag for giving me the opportunity to read this book direct from the publishers.
First published in the UK: June 2018
Doting wife, devoted husband, cherished child. Merry, Sam and Conor are the perfect family in the perfect place. In their idyllic house in the Swedish woods, they can hardly believe how lucky they are. And then Merry's closest friend Frank comes to stay. All their lives, the two women have been more like sisters than best friends.
But soon it's clear that everyone inside the house has something to hide. And as the truth begins to show through the cracks, Merry, Frank, and Sam grow all the more desperate to keep their picture-perfect lives intact.
My review
I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It was a really good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns but unfortunately it just wasn't really my cup of tea.
But soon it's clear that everyone inside the house has something to hide. And as the truth begins to show through the cracks, Merry, Frank, and Sam grow all the more desperate to keep their picture-perfect lives intact.
My review
I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It was a really good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns but unfortunately it just wasn't really my cup of tea.
The main 'problem' was that it was just too dark for me. I've only recently graduated from romcoms to thrillers so I'm probably still at the PG stage and this definitely wasn't that. If you like story lines that are set to shock and challenge then you would probably love this. I don't want to give too much away but the underlying theme is basically abuse: child abuse, a manipulative marriage and a deeply unhealthy friendship.
That said the character’s are all extremely complex and their development is really good, so by the end I was coming around. Whilst the events were still shocking I could understand (and maybe even sympathise a little with) the main characters, husband and wife Sam and Merry and best friend Frank - why they were the way they were and acted the way they did. Essentially it’s based on the idea that people ‘perform’ their lives, wearing different identities at different times or situations.
Basically Merry and Sam have the perfect house, perfect family and perfect lives. But, as with all good thrillers everything's not always as it seems, which Frank soon discovers when she comes to stay.
The chapters alternate between the three main characters which I really like. They were also quite short which made it easy to pick up and put down. However, it's written in a narrative style, using quite raw, graphic language which definitely adds to the darkness but I found difficult to get into. I'm not explaining this very well so here's an example: “One strike of her head against the corner of the table, her skull would split clean in two. Her brain would leak out, dribble from her nose..... I'll tell you Sam, she said. I'll tell you everything.”
Fans of chilling and twisted psychological thrillers will undoubtedly love this. If like me you just like reading then give it a try because whilst it freaked me out a little, I can still appreciate that this was a great book. And, whatever you feel while reading it, you will likely be totally gripped by these chilling characters and the pain they inflict on themselves and each other.
Find out more by visiting the author's website at www.michellesacksauthor.com.
That said the character’s are all extremely complex and their development is really good, so by the end I was coming around. Whilst the events were still shocking I could understand (and maybe even sympathise a little with) the main characters, husband and wife Sam and Merry and best friend Frank - why they were the way they were and acted the way they did. Essentially it’s based on the idea that people ‘perform’ their lives, wearing different identities at different times or situations.
Basically Merry and Sam have the perfect house, perfect family and perfect lives. But, as with all good thrillers everything's not always as it seems, which Frank soon discovers when she comes to stay.
The chapters alternate between the three main characters which I really like. They were also quite short which made it easy to pick up and put down. However, it's written in a narrative style, using quite raw, graphic language which definitely adds to the darkness but I found difficult to get into. I'm not explaining this very well so here's an example: “One strike of her head against the corner of the table, her skull would split clean in two. Her brain would leak out, dribble from her nose..... I'll tell you Sam, she said. I'll tell you everything.”
Fans of chilling and twisted psychological thrillers will undoubtedly love this. If like me you just like reading then give it a try because whilst it freaked me out a little, I can still appreciate that this was a great book. And, whatever you feel while reading it, you will likely be totally gripped by these chilling characters and the pain they inflict on themselves and each other.
Find out more by visiting the author's website at www.michellesacksauthor.com.
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