Yet another book for the people who enjoyed Gone Girl and Girl on A Train. I am actually far over seeking books out that say this on the cover because I’ve been burned. And also? Gone Girl was fun because it was new and different. It was fun deciding if I wanted to root for evil…but now? Old hat, I’ve read thousands of books for fans of GG and GoAT…none of them really seemed anything like that. This is no exception, but I’m happy to say, I enjoyed this book very much but you must go into it knowing that it’s more than a “psychological thriller” or a book with unreliable narrators to fully prepare you without spoiling things for you, you need to be willing to suspend disbelief or support magical realism although you’d never, ever suspect that as you’re reading.
Louise is a single mom who meets a charming man named David in a bar. They end up making out and she feels the electric energy of being desired again. She’s feeling pretty great about herself. about the possibility of opening up, having a relationship again, when she finds out that David is her new boss and he’s married. Ok, so you’ve seen some variation of this before in books or movies…it takes massive detours from what you’ve seen before.
Adele, David’s wife is gorgeous and perfect in just about every way (you’ve met this character before too, but then again, you haven’t). She doesn’t appear to see Louise go and hide in the bathroom while David is taking a tour, and remarks later to herself that Louise is a very pretty girl but that’s really all that happens there. Later, when Louise accidentally knocks her over on the street, Adele asks her to join her for coffee. It’s here we see how lonely Adele is, and how controlling David is in the marriage. Louise knows she must tell David that she’s become friends with Adele but Adele swears her to secrecy. It’s only later that the reader finds out that several people aren’t telling the truth, and that the secrets from the past are about to resurface.
So yeah, that sounds pretty generic, and for a good portion of the novel it is–but then it takes quite a turn. Your mileage on that turn may vary. At first finish, I was like, “Huh, that was a weird ending to have…” but now a few days later, I’m more comfortable with it. 3.5 stars.
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