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thestarsaligned's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
thephdivabooks's review against another edition
4.0
Riveting, dark, and twisted—Nalini Singh’s Quiet in Her Bones is an atmospheric thriller that kept me hooked until the final page.
This is the second book I’ve read now by Nalini Singh and she writes settings like the best in the business. Both books of hers were set in New Zealand. In Quiet in Her Bones, the book is primarily set in a very private, very expensive neighborhood surrounded by thick forest. I pictured the forest having a slightly jungle-like quality compared to the US and I swear I could see all of those shades of vibrant green and the dark shadows where the car crash that starts this book off occurred.
Narrated by the son of missing socialite Nina Rai, Aarav is the epitome of a tortured protagonist. Unreliable narrator, even to himself—Aarav has some serious blocks in his memories as he works through the story to unpack his complicated family dynamics. Singh does an incredible job showing the duality of Aarav’s mother Nina in flashbacks. She was such a complicated character, despite not being present in the story in the current timeline. I felt Nina leapt off of the page, simultaneously glamorous, cold, fiercely loving, needy, and flawed. She was mesmerizing.
Ten years ago wealthy socialite Nina drove off in the night with a quarter of a million dollars and was never heard from again. The theories about Nina were wild, made even the more salacious by knowing the private, secretive, wealthy community she came from. When her car and bones are discovered buried in the forest not far from the house, it’s clear that the wild theories that she escaped her marriage are wrong. Nina never was free.
Someone knows what happened to Nina that night, but in this wealthy community where the members pay for the cloak of privacy designed to keep their secrets, the truth may be buried as deep as her bones were. As the story unfolds, Aarav unpacks repressed memories from that night and from his childhood. Due to an accident, he is living back at his father’s house and it seems he can’t escape the ghosts of his past. But is Aarav truly innocent? Is he a good person? Well, that’s for you to find out!
I enjoyed Aarav as the detective into his mother’s death, particularly since Aarav even seems to be investigating himself. The secrets he learns about his mother, father, and the others of the neighborhood alone are enough to make this story gripping. What truly grabbed me, though, was the enigmatic Nina. She was simultaneously fiercely strong and fragile as spun glass. I felt invested in each new memory of her.
And of course, in a neighborhood like the one in this book, the cast of support characters are just as interesting. The pacing on this was slower but steady, with tension and suspense creeping in around the story until the end. If you like atmospheric mysteries with complex characters, this one is for you!
This is the second book I’ve read now by Nalini Singh and she writes settings like the best in the business. Both books of hers were set in New Zealand. In Quiet in Her Bones, the book is primarily set in a very private, very expensive neighborhood surrounded by thick forest. I pictured the forest having a slightly jungle-like quality compared to the US and I swear I could see all of those shades of vibrant green and the dark shadows where the car crash that starts this book off occurred.
Narrated by the son of missing socialite Nina Rai, Aarav is the epitome of a tortured protagonist. Unreliable narrator, even to himself—Aarav has some serious blocks in his memories as he works through the story to unpack his complicated family dynamics. Singh does an incredible job showing the duality of Aarav’s mother Nina in flashbacks. She was such a complicated character, despite not being present in the story in the current timeline. I felt Nina leapt off of the page, simultaneously glamorous, cold, fiercely loving, needy, and flawed. She was mesmerizing.
Ten years ago wealthy socialite Nina drove off in the night with a quarter of a million dollars and was never heard from again. The theories about Nina were wild, made even the more salacious by knowing the private, secretive, wealthy community she came from. When her car and bones are discovered buried in the forest not far from the house, it’s clear that the wild theories that she escaped her marriage are wrong. Nina never was free.
Someone knows what happened to Nina that night, but in this wealthy community where the members pay for the cloak of privacy designed to keep their secrets, the truth may be buried as deep as her bones were. As the story unfolds, Aarav unpacks repressed memories from that night and from his childhood. Due to an accident, he is living back at his father’s house and it seems he can’t escape the ghosts of his past. But is Aarav truly innocent? Is he a good person? Well, that’s for you to find out!
I enjoyed Aarav as the detective into his mother’s death, particularly since Aarav even seems to be investigating himself. The secrets he learns about his mother, father, and the others of the neighborhood alone are enough to make this story gripping. What truly grabbed me, though, was the enigmatic Nina. She was simultaneously fiercely strong and fragile as spun glass. I felt invested in each new memory of her.
And of course, in a neighborhood like the one in this book, the cast of support characters are just as interesting. The pacing on this was slower but steady, with tension and suspense creeping in around the story until the end. If you like atmospheric mysteries with complex characters, this one is for you!
lynguy1's review against another edition
5.0
I have seen QUIET IN HER BONES by Nalini Singh referred to as a crime thriller, a domestic thriller and a psychological thriller. I believe it is all of these. Add in a fantastic first two sentences in the novel and a setting in New Zealand and I was immediately hooked. Aarav Rai’s mother Nina disappeared 10 years ago when he was 16. Most thought she was just another wife tired of her wealthy husband. But not Aarav. Now her bones and car have turned up in a nearby forest. Was it an accident or murder or something else entirely?
Aarav is a successful author that never believed his mother would leave him behind if she was truly leaving her husband. He is also a very unreliable narrator who has been in a recent car accident. He’s having memory problems and is seeing a therapist, or is he? He’s definitely a memorable character that I will not soon forget. Since the book is from his point of view, what can the reader believe? What is real? Can he determine what really happened to his mother the night she disappeared? His father certainly doesn’t seem eager to find answers.
As we meet the secondary characters, nearly everyone seems to have a secret and most have a motive to kill Nina. Can Aarav trust anyone other than his half-sister? Their relationship feels like it is the only healthy one in the book. In this book nearly everyone has flaws and very few have virtues that are shown.
The writing gave me a strong sense of the neighborhood where Aarav grew up; which is where he is recovering from his accident. What is really going on in the neighborhood? There are a lot of secrets. While I guessed some of them, others were a surprise. This elite neighborhood is not as ideal and faultless as the residents would have you believe.
As the story line develops, several themes are apparent, including secrets, memory loss, infidelity, love, childhood traumas, unhealthy relationships, alcohol problems, and much more. The introduction of some Hindi words and cultural aspects added to the realism in the book.
Overall, this novel was unsettling and a bit creepy, but also gripping, entertaining and a bit over-the-top. However, it kept me fully engaged. What a dramatic conclusion! The epilogue wrapped up the loose ends and subplots nicely. While this is the first book that I have read by this author, it won’t be the last.
Berkley Publishing Group and Nalini Singh provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for February 23, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
Aarav is a successful author that never believed his mother would leave him behind if she was truly leaving her husband. He is also a very unreliable narrator who has been in a recent car accident. He’s having memory problems and is seeing a therapist, or is he? He’s definitely a memorable character that I will not soon forget. Since the book is from his point of view, what can the reader believe? What is real? Can he determine what really happened to his mother the night she disappeared? His father certainly doesn’t seem eager to find answers.
As we meet the secondary characters, nearly everyone seems to have a secret and most have a motive to kill Nina. Can Aarav trust anyone other than his half-sister? Their relationship feels like it is the only healthy one in the book. In this book nearly everyone has flaws and very few have virtues that are shown.
The writing gave me a strong sense of the neighborhood where Aarav grew up; which is where he is recovering from his accident. What is really going on in the neighborhood? There are a lot of secrets. While I guessed some of them, others were a surprise. This elite neighborhood is not as ideal and faultless as the residents would have you believe.
As the story line develops, several themes are apparent, including secrets, memory loss, infidelity, love, childhood traumas, unhealthy relationships, alcohol problems, and much more. The introduction of some Hindi words and cultural aspects added to the realism in the book.
Overall, this novel was unsettling and a bit creepy, but also gripping, entertaining and a bit over-the-top. However, it kept me fully engaged. What a dramatic conclusion! The epilogue wrapped up the loose ends and subplots nicely. While this is the first book that I have read by this author, it won’t be the last.
Berkley Publishing Group and Nalini Singh provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for February 23, 2021. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.
devynne12's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
ercksn's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hufflemelpufflemel's review against another edition
1.0
DNFD about 30 percent in. It was unnecessarily sexist and a bit racist. Not a fan
bhookjunkhie's review against another edition
3.0
Great writing of course but, this was a bit slow for me...
readingfourme's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Definitely a page turner. There was truly not one redeeming character, including the narrator and the victim. The whodunnit was disappointing.
ri_shin's review against another edition
4.0
When I first finished the book I didn’t know what to rate it, but after some consideration a 4/5 seems appropriate; the characters are well written even tho they’re all pieces of shit bar 2