Reviews with content warning for Cancer - The Golden Cage

Scandinavian thrillers are a sub-genre that I’ve enjoyed over the years so when I saw this available on Libby, I gave it a go. As the story started, I was enjoying the inner monologue of Faye and the glimpses into her past live under a different name. It seemed a bit obvious that she was holding too much back from her friends and becoming isolated and dependent on him, despite the past life that was (I think) intended to let the reader know she is a strong-willed and independent woman at her core. It was perhaps too stark of a contrast to make sense of early on.

As her marriage ends and she builds a new life with her daughter and her closest friends, the story takes on a different purpose. Revenge becomes all-consuming and I was surprised at how many others in her life so willingly went along with it. It seemed like the reader was meant to feel a kinship for Faye and be rooting her on, but the whole time I kept thinking how deeply messed up all of it was. There was a twist ending that was somewhat easy to see coming and ultimately this wasn’t the right one for me. I was glad to part way with the characters.

Content warnings: Sexual content (explicit), Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Cancer, Death

Content Warnings

npkrensky's review

Go to review page

adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Content Warnings

singalana's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

Content Warnings

jesscoast's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I went into this book a little wary of the premise - reading about the so called problems of upper class white families isn't my idea of a challenging or particularly high stakes book. But Lackberg absolutely pulled it off. This book did right everything that Joy Fielding's book All The Wrong Places (which I recently reviewed) did wrong. It's hard not to see the similarity in themes between the two books after reading them almost back to back, so apologies for the unsolicited comparison.

The story arcs nicely, and demonstrates fierce female character development, even if it followed a bit of a "scorned woman" trope. Faye reinvents herself over and over, in a rather inspiring way. Whether or not she takes it too far and destructs her world and loved ones is what you'll be asking throughout. The women were complex and clever, I really enjoyed how none were truly portrayed in only one light, unlike Fielding's "good" and "bad" girls. They learn from mistakes, have complicated friendships, look out for their families inrerests, take risks, and execute plans. These are the types of women I actually want to read about.

The book runs the whole gammet of emotions (I even teared up a little!), and uses tragedy and red herrings well to keep the reader on their toes. It was self aware about privilege and feminism, even if there was a little too much diet talk for my liking. The girl power feminism portrayed was a lever that got pulled on as needed as a means to an end, and it served it's purpose well.

The jump from past to present to future left the reader asking more questions as the blanks got filled, and made for a messy three stand braid. I was guessing up until the last few pages, and was pleasantly satisfied with this read. I'll have to pick up another Nordic noire again soon.

Content Warnings

soobooksalot's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Hell hath no fury indeed!
Don't you love a book that makes you order the sequel before you're even finished the first?
The Gilded Cage is that book.
As is often the case with Nordic mysteries, it's not for the faint of heart. It's dark and it's out there.
Faye has been beaten down throughout her life, both literally and figuratively.
After husband Jack is caught in the act of infidelity, something turns in her. She's taking back her power and taking others along with her.
I won't say any more other than I was absolutely hooked. Dual timelines give us Faye's past and current realities, painting a most memorable character.
I won't be delaying on getting to the next part of the story in Silver Tears.
Recommended!

Content Warnings

More...