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A review by sarahholliday
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
The premise of this tense thriller is absolutely fascinating. I love the idea of getting to see the various facets of such a cruel, evil man through the eyes of the women surrounding him. It shows, with both subtlety and unflinching honesty, the ways in which such a person makes everyone around them a victim—even if they don't intentionally do them harm.
"The woman in the shed" is a brilliantly drawn character. Her development is so well done, and I appreciate the attention the author played to the impact of things like diet, exposure to the outside world, and other practical elements on a victim's psyche and mental acuity.
There's no glamorizing the serial killer here. Instead, Michallon empathizes the inherently frail nature of a killer's control, the feebleness of their rationale, and the fragility of their carefully constructed world.
I think the pacing lagged in a few places, and I didn't always know quite what to do with Emily as a character, but overall I thought this book was very well done and I had a hard time putting it down. Excited to see what else the author does in the future!
"The woman in the shed" is a brilliantly drawn character. Her development is so well done, and I appreciate the attention the author played to the impact of things like diet, exposure to the outside world, and other practical elements on a victim's psyche and mental acuity.
There's no glamorizing the serial killer here. Instead, Michallon empathizes the inherently frail nature of a killer's control, the feebleness of their rationale, and the fragility of their carefully constructed world.
I think the pacing lagged in a few places, and I didn't always know quite what to do with Emily as a character, but overall I thought this book was very well done and I had a hard time putting it down. Excited to see what else the author does in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Sexual violence, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Murder, Suicide attempt, Rape, and Stalking