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A review by mstall_
Imaginary Strangers by Minka Kent
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book in seven hours!!
Okay, I have not read a story so twisty and compelling in SUCH a long time. I was riveted from the first page, and all day I have been reading this book at any opportunity that came my way.
Imaginary Strangers is a twisty, mysterious, psychological thriller centered on Camille Prescott and her picture perfect family. She lives in a wealthy neighborhood in San Diego, her kids go to the best school, she has an amazingly perfect husband, oh and she is a diagnosed sociopath.
Camille has curated the perfect facade to keep anyone and everyone from looking too closely at her life and her upbringing. The book time jumps between Camille in the present and Camille in therapy a few years prior. Current day Camille has graduated from therapy and is enjoying sunny California when her young daughter starts playing with an imaginary friend who turns out to be not so imaginary. As Camille's past threatens to implode her present, she must come to terms with what it means to be a mother hell bent on protecting her children, and also a sociopath.
I LOVED this book, probably because as a therapist it is not often that I read very accurate descriptions of therapy/therapists. I thought her flashbacks to her time in therapy were so well written and portrayed accurately. There is a line where she wonders if therapists take so long getting to their point because they spend so much time not being able to talk. That made me laugh out loud (it's true). I also so deeply appreciate how Minka explores what sociopathy means and how our perceptions of people with sociopathy are grossly lacking. Minka flawlessly explores how the circumstances of our life do not have to dictate the rest of our future, even when we are handed difficult diagnoses.
This is book one in a series, and I hope to god I am able to get an ARC of the next book because I don't want to wait a second longer than I have to. A huge thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an ARC for an honest review!
Okay, I have not read a story so twisty and compelling in SUCH a long time. I was riveted from the first page, and all day I have been reading this book at any opportunity that came my way.
Imaginary Strangers is a twisty, mysterious, psychological thriller centered on Camille Prescott and her picture perfect family. She lives in a wealthy neighborhood in San Diego, her kids go to the best school, she has an amazingly perfect husband, oh and she is a diagnosed sociopath.
Camille has curated the perfect facade to keep anyone and everyone from looking too closely at her life and her upbringing. The book time jumps between Camille in the present and Camille in therapy a few years prior. Current day Camille has graduated from therapy and is enjoying sunny California when her young daughter starts playing with an imaginary friend who turns out to be not so imaginary. As Camille's past threatens to implode her present, she must come to terms with what it means to be a mother hell bent on protecting her children, and also a sociopath.
I LOVED this book, probably because as a therapist it is not often that I read very accurate descriptions of therapy/therapists. I thought her flashbacks to her time in therapy were so well written and portrayed accurately. There is a line where she wonders if therapists take so long getting to their point because they spend so much time not being able to talk. That made me laugh out loud (it's true). I also so deeply appreciate how Minka explores what sociopathy means and how our perceptions of people with sociopathy are grossly lacking. Minka flawlessly explores how the circumstances of our life do not have to dictate the rest of our future, even when we are handed difficult diagnoses.
This is book one in a series, and I hope to god I am able to get an ARC of the next book because I don't want to wait a second longer than I have to. A huge thanks to NetGalley for letting me read an ARC for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Stalking