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mintandmemory 's review for:
Into the Darkest Corner
by Elizabeth Haynes
First things first, the structure of this book is its strongest aspect and brings the best out of the narrative. It flips from the past to the present: the past being Catherine's relationship with Lee, and the present being her coping with the aftermath of the abuse and finding love with someone else. The author's choice in taking us through Lee and Catherine's gradual descent into domestic abuse and the scars it leaves on Catherine after Lee is jailed packs an emotional punch that otherwise wouldn't have been present if we'd experienced the "past" OR the "present."
As much as Into the Darkest Corner is your typical thriller and portrait of an abusive relationship, it focuses on a mental illness that is seldom explored in literature: OCD. Seeing how Catherine develops her paranoia as Lee starts violating her space, and seeing how her lock-and-window checking habits are reinforced as time passes, is heartbreaking. OCD is not treated as a paltry "I'm just a perfectionist!" trait. It is shown as something that utterly exhausts an individual and disrupts peace of mind. It dominates your life, doesn't allow you to rest.
But Into the Darkest Corner doesn't solely focus on the garish abuse; it focuses on Catherine's healing as well. She's motivated to seek help for her OCD and to find her sense of safety again. Haynes shows that life can go on after trauma, that one is not lost or permanently damaged. And that's beautiful and important to write.
Lee is written convincingly. He's the charming, hot boyfriend who presents some warning signs here and there that erupt into full-blown sociopathy by the middle of the book. Having his profession being a cop was terrifying due to the amount of freedom and control it gave him. These type of people do exist and law enforcement, and some go into law enforcement because of the power it affords. Scary thought. (On a side note, Jacob Elordi would NAIL Lee. S2g Nate -- his role in Euphoria -- is two steps away from being Lee himself.)
Amazing story that is worth reading.
As much as Into the Darkest Corner is your typical thriller and portrait of an abusive relationship, it focuses on a mental illness that is seldom explored in literature: OCD. Seeing how Catherine develops her paranoia as Lee starts violating her space, and seeing how her lock-and-window checking habits are reinforced as time passes, is heartbreaking. OCD is not treated as a paltry "I'm just a perfectionist!" trait. It is shown as something that utterly exhausts an individual and disrupts peace of mind. It dominates your life, doesn't allow you to rest.
But Into the Darkest Corner doesn't solely focus on the garish abuse; it focuses on Catherine's healing as well. She's motivated to seek help for her OCD and to find her sense of safety again. Haynes shows that life can go on after trauma, that one is not lost or permanently damaged. And that's beautiful and important to write.
Lee is written convincingly. He's the charming, hot boyfriend who presents some warning signs here and there that erupt into full-blown sociopathy by the middle of the book. Having his profession being a cop was terrifying due to the amount of freedom and control it gave him. These type of people do exist and law enforcement, and some go into law enforcement because of the power it affords. Scary thought. (On a side note, Jacob Elordi would NAIL Lee. S2g Nate -- his role in Euphoria -- is two steps away from being Lee himself.)
Amazing story that is worth reading.