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A review by always_need_more_books
Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg
4.0
Nobody But Us starts with a bang beginning with the police arriving at a house, the walls and carpets stained red with blood. A shocking discovery for police who are more used to dealing with car wrecks and one which drew me in immediately.
Ellie is 23 and is a college student and is dating Steven, an English professor in his 50s. To celebrate their 6 month anniversary, Ellie surprises him by booking a couple of nights away in a beautiful secluded house in Chesapeake Bay. By the time they get there, the snow is falling fast and Ellie is jumpy, nervous of the seclusion and sounds the house makes.
The couple soon relax, exploring the area around the house in the snow and exploring each other knowing they are away from judging eyes…and that’s where I’m going to leave it!
I really enjoyed Nobody But Us. The narrative was interesting – we hear from Ellie in the first person, while Steven’s chapters are written in the third person – something I only realised around half way through. My initial thoughts about Steven were he was a bit of an arsehole – privileged with a sense of his own importance. Ellie I felt was weak and I wanted her to have some more self respect. I completely get there are couples with big age gaps but I felt Steven held all the power in their relationship and that is never a good thing (putting me in mind of My Dark Vanessa).
Nobody But Us was a completely thrilling and exciting read. The atmosphere is tense throughout, helped by the snow and the isolation of the house, and from those opening couple of pages, and left me wanting more. This clever and brutal book left my heart racing. A fantastic debut!
Ellie is 23 and is a college student and is dating Steven, an English professor in his 50s. To celebrate their 6 month anniversary, Ellie surprises him by booking a couple of nights away in a beautiful secluded house in Chesapeake Bay. By the time they get there, the snow is falling fast and Ellie is jumpy, nervous of the seclusion and sounds the house makes.
The couple soon relax, exploring the area around the house in the snow and exploring each other knowing they are away from judging eyes…and that’s where I’m going to leave it!
I really enjoyed Nobody But Us. The narrative was interesting – we hear from Ellie in the first person, while Steven’s chapters are written in the third person – something I only realised around half way through. My initial thoughts about Steven were he was a bit of an arsehole – privileged with a sense of his own importance. Ellie I felt was weak and I wanted her to have some more self respect. I completely get there are couples with big age gaps but I felt Steven held all the power in their relationship and that is never a good thing (putting me in mind of My Dark Vanessa).
Nobody But Us was a completely thrilling and exciting read. The atmosphere is tense throughout, helped by the snow and the isolation of the house, and from those opening couple of pages, and left me wanting more. This clever and brutal book left my heart racing. A fantastic debut!