podsticles 's review for:

Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

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Catherine is an outgoing and confident woman, enjoying her weekends going out on the town with her friends, meeting guys and having fun. Then she meets Lee, a gorgeous and charming man who her friends all love. A few years later we meet Catherine again. Single, she has no friends, and her life is consumed by OCD and anxiety. What has happened to her?

‘Into the Darkest Corner’ is a real slow burn of a dark psychological thriller. Told in a dual timeline we switch between the past confident Catherine and the present terrified one as we gradually learn what has happened to her. This contrast between past and present is incredibly effective in showing the damage inflicted by domestic violence, gaslighting, and coercive control.

This one doesn’t hold back. It is disturbing and unsettling, and there are some graphic scenes pertaining to domestic violence. While that obviously isn’t going to be for everyone, I appreciated how the author didn’t sugarcoat it in any way. It’s a risky move, particularly for a first novel, and I think Haynes pulls it off well. If you’re not afraid of reading difficult scenes and are looking for a tense and unsettling thriller, then I can highly recommend this one.


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