rachelncostello 's review for:

The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
4.0
challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
I first came across Abigail Dean when I read Girl A and loved it so I had pretty high expectations for this one. This is a gripping and emotionally charged book that explores human relationships and the impact trauma has on the people involved. This book revolves around Edward and Isabel, a married couple living in London when a serial killer and rapist breaks into their home. Years later, they reunite for the man’s trial. 

This book is tragic and dark and everything I expected it to be. It shows exactly how complex and messy life can be whilst remaining true to who the characters are. The book alternates between Edward and Isabel’s views and between present day and the past. I did find it easy to follow because each section has the description of who’s POV it is and when the time period is. These changes in POV also act as chapters as the book isn’t written as chapter 1, 2, 3 etc but as passages instead. 

I found it hard to get into the book initially as a lot of Isabel’s POV is aimed at ‘you’ and it took me a while to realise that she was talking to the man that attacked her. Once I grasped this idea, it didn’t take long for me to get into it and not want to put it down. I also felt that the ending felt abrupt to me. I would have liked it to go on further and was left wanting more but I guess too much of a good thing isn’t always good. 

I received this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest view. 
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