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apourfal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
missmesmerized's review against another edition
5.0
One evening when Sophia is out with her colleagues, she gets a strange phone call from her mother who asks her to come back home. It is always the same and thus, she cuts her short and goes on amusing herself. The next morning, the bad conscience is nagging and she gets in the car to visit her parents. What she finds in their house is horrible: her mother hanging from a tree, her father badly injured. What happened? The police soon close the file, for them the case is clear: an extended suicide. But when Sophia find her mother’s diaries, she is convinced that her mother would never have attempted suicide. And what about the burglaries? Over months, her parents had been the victims of break-ins. The deeper Sophia digs in her mother Nina’s past, the more complex and strange things seem to be, but there are not many people who believe her.
Helen Callaghan caught me immediately. Even though the beginning leads into a completely different way, centring about Sophia’s work at an architectural agency, she soon accelerates and with the first part of Nina’s diary, I was completely absorbed by the novel.
The most striking part is definitely Nina’s past in the cult she joined as a student. It is a wonderful example of how easy it is to manipulate a young woman who lacks self-confidence and experience. Cleverly they approach her and they use the right amount of charm to trick her into their community. At the moment she arrives at their house, there is no way out anymore for her, she is already too deeply involved emotionally to think and act clearly.
The thriller is full of suspense, offering twists and turns at the perfect moment to keep the plot running on. The protagonist also seems to be quite authentic and you can easily sympathize with her.
I really enjoyed the novel, it is a most accomplished psychological thriller which leaves nothing to be desired.
Helen Callaghan caught me immediately. Even though the beginning leads into a completely different way, centring about Sophia’s work at an architectural agency, she soon accelerates and with the first part of Nina’s diary, I was completely absorbed by the novel.
The most striking part is definitely Nina’s past in the cult she joined as a student. It is a wonderful example of how easy it is to manipulate a young woman who lacks self-confidence and experience. Cleverly they approach her and they use the right amount of charm to trick her into their community. At the moment she arrives at their house, there is no way out anymore for her, she is already too deeply involved emotionally to think and act clearly.
The thriller is full of suspense, offering twists and turns at the perfect moment to keep the plot running on. The protagonist also seems to be quite authentic and you can easily sympathize with her.
I really enjoyed the novel, it is a most accomplished psychological thriller which leaves nothing to be desired.
lindacc's review against another edition
3.0
Terrible parents and a charismatic cult leader - what really happened to Nina
kacirobins's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
kthannan's review against another edition
4.0
added half a star because my dad read it after me and now really trusts my books reccomendations
emiliaruby's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I got through this book really fast, whilst i didn’t hate it i felt
that it kind of leveled out to be quite underwhelming like the plot twists were easily figured out by like halfway through the book
I got through this book really fast, whilst i didn’t hate it i felt
that it kind of leveled out to be quite underwhelming like the plot twists were easily figured out by like halfway through the book
saffyofthecakes's review against another edition
4.0
Really good and well thought out mystery. Had many echos to the masterful The Secret History but a different twist on the tale. Would recommend!
piratehunterd's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kime's review against another edition
4.0
The first couple of chapters of this book made for riveting reading and I was hooked instantly. Wow, this one got off to a cracker. I immediately bonded with Sophia, and my heart went out to her. The terrible situation that she found herself in, the guilt, the pain, the "what if's", I could understand it all, and it made me feel immediately invested in the story.
When I started reading this book I was excited to discover that it was a dual time-frame narrative, as I really love those. This story moves between the present where Sophia discovers the death of her parents, and her mother's past and the secrets that it holds, which past has been recorded by her mother in a series of notebooks that her mother had planned on publishing.
For me personally, I loved the chapters set in the past, the chapters explaining the strange and ultimately abusive relationship between her mother and cult leader, Aaron. There were times throughout the story when I felt so irritated with Nina (Sophia's mother), where I just couldn't handle her meek and mild ways, her inability to stand up for herself and to see the truth of the situation for what it was. But ultimately this led to a story that gripped me, that made me feel something for the characters, and of course, that made me want to see how things would pan out.
As this story develops it becomes clear that Sophia's initial gut reaction to the death of her mother and the stabbing of her father - that this wasn't a murder-suicide - is correct. Her mother's strange and secretive past may very well have something to do with the death of her mother.
This is a great book that I really enjoyed. In a year where I'm battling slightly with my reading mojo, this book had me excited to get home every day and to open it up. I highly recommend this one.
My Rating: * * * *
Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Format: Trade Paperback
Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Helen Callaghan and Penguin Random House SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.
When I started reading this book I was excited to discover that it was a dual time-frame narrative, as I really love those. This story moves between the present where Sophia discovers the death of her parents, and her mother's past and the secrets that it holds, which past has been recorded by her mother in a series of notebooks that her mother had planned on publishing.
For me personally, I loved the chapters set in the past, the chapters explaining the strange and ultimately abusive relationship between her mother and cult leader, Aaron. There were times throughout the story when I felt so irritated with Nina (Sophia's mother), where I just couldn't handle her meek and mild ways, her inability to stand up for herself and to see the truth of the situation for what it was. But ultimately this led to a story that gripped me, that made me feel something for the characters, and of course, that made me want to see how things would pan out.
As this story develops it becomes clear that Sophia's initial gut reaction to the death of her mother and the stabbing of her father - that this wasn't a murder-suicide - is correct. Her mother's strange and secretive past may very well have something to do with the death of her mother.
This is a great book that I really enjoyed. In a year where I'm battling slightly with my reading mojo, this book had me excited to get home every day and to open it up. I highly recommend this one.
My Rating: * * * *
Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Format: Trade Paperback
Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Helen Callaghan and Penguin Random House SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title.