Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Overall, my response to this book was... meh. I try very hard not to anticipate plot twists, preferring to be surprised, but this one I saw coming a mile away, as would any reader, I think. There's a dead teenage girl in the story, but we find out pretty quickly that it was probably an accidental death than an intentional murder, which kind of dampens that avenue to horror. Most of the horror, in fact, is derived from the very real restrictions imposed on women in the 1950s; at one point, Mrs. Davenport goes to start a bank account and is told by an icy teller that she can't do so without her husband to sign off on it.
The writing itself, I think, somewhat dampened the story. The characters are almost entirely one-dimensional. Mrs. Davenport should be interesting, but she proceeds through the story meekly and accommodating to the narrative arc, not because it feels like her character is growing, but instead because the story demands it. The husband is controlling and abusive and nasty and similarly felt paint-by-numbers evil. Then there's the love interest, who is nauseatingly perfect and there is never a shred of an interesting thing about him. The recurring line, in fact, is that he "always says the right thing".
The one character who actually stood out was the female neighbor who joins with the husband to spy on his wife and report back to him. There's a fleeting line about it - does she hope he'll fall in love with her instead? - but then quickly that line of thought is abandoned and the character never actually receives her comeuppance, leading to a rather unsatisfying ending.
The dialogue also felt ... wooden. I can't quite put my finger on something specific, but it felt like the characters were often reciting their dialogue as a wooden actor would recite his lines. At one point, the main character pronounces their intentions - a major turning point for her character - but it feels oddly flat and we move quickly on from it. It felt rushed, somehow, as if, again, the characters were dutifully fulfilling their places in the narrative, rather than actual people responding to the situations they were placed in.
Also, <i>why was Joan there at the end when they finally caught Pete?</i> I read it twice thinking I missed something, but there is absolutely <i>no</i> reason why she needed to be there.
Overall, it was an interesting premise that never quite lived up to its promise.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape
Minor: Child abuse, Racism
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Gun violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Stalking, Abortion
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Blood
Minor: Cursing, Infertility, Abortion
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Car accident, Abortion
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Abortion
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Car accident, Abortion, Murder, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Stalking
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting
Moderate: Self harm, Car accident, Death of parent
It's a rare thing for me to experience real fear while reading a book. Most of the time there's a sense of distance between myself and the events I'm reading (it's not like a book is going to jumpscare me the way a movie might). It turns out all I need to be absolutely terrified while reading is a well-written, horrific man in the 50s. The visceral feelings of claustrophobia and entrapment that plagued me while reading was something I've never gotten form a book before. While there are , of course, some horror supernatural elements to this story, the misogyny and abuse and feelings of helplessness experienced by our protagonist were so real and so possible it made me almost ill (complimentary!).
I liked our characters and the relationships between them (and I loved to hate/fear the bad ones). I thought the plot was interesting and the execution was well-done. I also liked the ending, even if I feel it didn't really macth with the rest of the story.
TLDR; keep an eye on Paulette Kennedy, because this was a real winner.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Sexism
Minor: Child abuse
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Abortion
Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting