The Couple Upstairs is about two women. Mel, a Gen X divorced mother of two, struggling to keep her sanity and her kids engaged through the pandemic in Sydney. The other, Lori, a Gen Z backpacker pursuing a romantic relationship with a handsome Aussie bloke to who lives above Mel’s apartment. The bloke – Flynn – is the thread that connects these two women. He forcibly reminds Mel of a man she dated while backpacking in her 20s for whom she has very complicated feelings. For Lori, he’s the mercurial man of mystery that she cannot help but adore.
But the thing is: Flynn’s a prick. A jerk. A wanker. And as time goes by, it becomes clear he’s also an abuser.
The story unfolds through the eyes of Mel and Lori and we, the reader, slowly start to piece together the puzzle. Very soon into the book, we learn that Lori has been reported missing and Flynn is the #1 suspect. Eventually, we learn the twists and turns that caused these events to unfurl.
I listened to this book on Audible and, to its credit, it was an easy distraction. The story moved along at a good pace and the characters were engaging enough. The ‘twist’ in the book; however, was a misstep. Without spoiling it, I do need to have a little rant, so please indulge me.
Domestic violence is no joke, and extracting oneself from a violent relationship is a difficult and dangerous task, for a multitude of reasons. I did not feel that The Couple Upstairs approached this difficult subject matter well. The positioning of police, the abuser, Mel’s ‘ghost’, social media, and the victim were really troubling to me. Unfair and trite parallels were drawn between Flynn the abuser and Mel’s mentally unwell boyfriend from her 20s. The ways in which police were misled throughout the fiasco was criminal and unnecessary. The revenge was pointless and ineffectual. I also found the ‘wrapping up’ chapters to be far to neat and tidy to be realistic.
I honestly feel like this subject matter was the wrong choice for Wainwright. It felt rushed and half baked. I think she was going for some kind of virtuous revenge fantasy, but she severely missed the mark. This is no Old Boy. This is just a bit of a mess.
Overall, 2 goat curries out of 5. This is my last attempt with Wainwright’s writing, I’ll pass in future.
