A review by mjanemartin
The Kept by James Scott

3.0

What a weird book. If I recapped the plot for you, you would never believe it (and you can get that from the jacket). There are many parts that simply aren't believable. The character of Elspeth didn't seem to be the same person by the end of the book, but a reason for her transformation wasn't really given. Other reviewers have said it's "well written." I would say it's "simply written" (which isn't necessarily bad). It's an easy read. It's not verbose, even remotely. It's in the style of the Nordic crime books, lot's of cold and snow. The writing matched the setting and plot of the book perfectly...stark and grim. It's soooooo bleak. It reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Every word I read plunged me into an abyss of awful, unhappy people making bad decisions who were filled with shame and regret. And if they didn't fall into that category, then they were just mean. There is no redemption in this book.

Despite wanting to shoot myself while I was reading this, I kept reading. It was a page turner. And because I'm an avid reader, there aren't many books I can't predict the ending of. This is definitely one of them. And, because I've been on a run of 6 and 700 page books, this quick and fast-moving read (under 400 pages)was welcome. There's lots of murder and not the clean kind. If you're struggling with depression of any degree, make sure your Prozac prescription is filled, when you start.