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bickleyhouse's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is my first book by this author. I've been familiar with her name for many years, but, for some reason, had never read any of her books. After reading this one, I'm sure to read more. I really enjoyed this book.
This one is short, barely over 200 pages. It begins with our main character, Abby (not her real name, as we find out), getting off a city bus (at the wrong stop), and then rather absentmindedly stepping off the curb right in front of the bus, getting hit by it, which sends her into a coma for a bit. Oh, I forgot to mention, this was the morning after her wedding.
As the people in her life try to figure out if this was intentional or accidental, we get Abby's back story, the story of her parents. And all throughout, we keep returning to the scene of a couple skeletons that Abby found when she was a child.
Ms. Oates does a magnificent job of putting us in the heads of the different characters. Sometimes, we are in Abby's head. Sometimes we are in her father's head (he was capital C "Crazy"), and sometimes we are in her mother's head. The domestic abuse that occurs in that horrible excuse for a marriage is disturbing, to say the least. Abby's father was a classic case of "toxic masculinity." Sometimes, we are in the head of Abby's new husband, Willem.
The psychological nature of this book is thrilling. It is called "A Novel of Suspense" on the cover, and it certainly is. Right down to the last page. It's a quick read, and if you're into this kind of thing, I highly recommend it.
This one is short, barely over 200 pages. It begins with our main character, Abby (not her real name, as we find out), getting off a city bus (at the wrong stop), and then rather absentmindedly stepping off the curb right in front of the bus, getting hit by it, which sends her into a coma for a bit. Oh, I forgot to mention, this was the morning after her wedding.
As the people in her life try to figure out if this was intentional or accidental, we get Abby's back story, the story of her parents. And all throughout, we keep returning to the scene of a couple skeletons that Abby found when she was a child.
Ms. Oates does a magnificent job of putting us in the heads of the different characters. Sometimes, we are in Abby's head. Sometimes we are in her father's head (he was capital C "Crazy"), and sometimes we are in her mother's head. The domestic abuse that occurs in that horrible excuse for a marriage is disturbing, to say the least. Abby's father was a classic case of "toxic masculinity." Sometimes, we are in the head of Abby's new husband, Willem.
The psychological nature of this book is thrilling. It is called "A Novel of Suspense" on the cover, and it certainly is. Right down to the last page. It's a quick read, and if you're into this kind of thing, I highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, and Domestic abuse
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