Pages: 262
Published: 23rd June 2022
Genre: Psychological Thriller
I was handed a proof copy of this book by the author in person, as she just so happens to be a work colleague of mine. It was amazing to read a soon-to-be-published novel by someone who I know in real life, after the initial starry-eyed surprise at finding out she was an author!
As always, however, my review is completely honest and unbiased. Also, as I read from a proof copy, there may be one or two slight differences from the final published book.
When Jane Douglas returns to the Shetland Islands, she thinks she has escaped the dark shadows of her childhood. She carves out a simple life on the bleak, windswept island, working at the salmon fishery and spending quiet evenings at home. And for the first time in her life, she’s happy.
Then the body of Jane’s long-missing mother is found in a flooded quarry. Her mother disappeared when Jane was a teenager, following the death of Jane’s baby brother. Jane has spent her life running from her past, living in fear that she has inherited her mother’s demons. Now, Jane must face what actually happened on that fateful, tragic day twenty-four years ago…
This is a psychological thriller that is packed with atmosphere and unsettling vibes that take root at the beginning and remain etched in your mind long after you have turned the final page. With a dual timeline structure, it creates an intriguing build-up for a growing mystery and leads to some deft storytelling, even if it is arguably missing a killer twist.
Despite the presence of the mystery that underpins everything, it is a rather more character driven story than you might expect to find in this genre, but that helps to give it a lot more depth and allows some of the difficult themes to be handled with the respect they deserve. The raw and prominent portrayal of topics such as motherhood and depression is such that it will leave a discernible impact for many readers.
Jane lives in the Shetland islands, the place she grew up after being born in the small Devon town of Crowholt. Originally called Hannah, she changed her name after her mother committed a terrible act when she was a child, before going missing. Years later, she now receives a visit from the local police officer, who informs her that a prosthetic arm has been found in Crowholt, believed to be the one that belonged to her mother.
Having built a living for herself in Shetland and entered a loving relationship with Mike, hearing this news brings everything back for Jane, who wanted to bury it all in the past. But overcome by curiosity, she retrieves her mother’s diaries and begins to read the entries, which date back to a seven-year period from when she was a teenager to the day she disappeared.
In highly personal and detailed thoughts, Sylvia recalled her dissatisfaction with life in Crowholt, before she met and fell in love with Bobby Douglas, a charismatic oil rig worker. She soon fell pregnant with Hannah and after they are married she moves to his home in Shetland to start a new life, which did not turn out to be as special as she hoped. Meanwhile in the present, Jane fears that she may have inherited poisonous traits from her mother.
It offers a reasonably unique spin on a familiar concept, with the psychological challenges faced by both Jane and Sylvia accounting for much of the plot. The diary entries took up a surprisingly large chunk of the story, but they were the most gripping element of it by far, offering room for some terrific character development as well as an intriguing build-up to Sylvia’s disappearance.
Ironically, so personal are Sylvia’s thoughts that you actually start to connect with her, despite Jane’s animosity and the knowledge that she would end up doing something unspeakably awful. She is quite naïve and we follow her intimately throughout her many struggles, first as she tries to overcome her deformity and then adjusting to life in Shetland. These sections are brilliantly written.
If there is one problem, it is that the later timeline is not quite as compelling. It is written in the third person, told from Jane’s perspective as she wrestles with the news of the discovery and becomes distressed at the thought that she could be like her mother. The focus is very much on the themes and that is no bad thing, but I would have liked for the plot to have something to lift it further.
Of the supporting characters, Bobby is the most interesting. You only get to know him through what Sylvia wrote in her diary, yet there is the immediate sense that he has something to hide. The same cannot be said for Mike, who is very likeable and understanding in the circumstances, while Maggie is significant for being a link between the two timelines.
There is something in the way the settings are described that gives the book a certain degree of suspense. Shetland looks like a beautiful place, but here it is made to feel cold and desolate, perhaps even slightly unwelcoming. The fictional town of Crowholt does not seem like the most joyous place to be either, and it all adds to the ever-present atmosphere.
The most impressive thing about the writing is how so many weighty topics are approached and the authenticity Sylvia is imbued with in her diary entries, but on a more frivolous note I enjoyed many of the descriptions, especially the similes. The cultural references in the earlier timeline were also spot on. However, the chapters are far too long.
Overall, a story that tangibly puts you in the mind of the two main characters and succeeds in cultivating a harsh and gritty atmosphere courtesy of its settings and themes. The diary entries are written with sophistication and are the standout factor, overshadowing the main narrative of Jane which is not quite as memorable. All the same, this is a pretty good debut.
Among its many themes, the book contains an in-depth portrayal of depression and harmful thoughts, so that is something you might want to be mindful of before picking it up. Among the other potential content warnings are the death of a child, sexual content, and descriptions of dead animals through Jane’s work at the fishery.
A book I mostly enjoyed for its atmosphere and the gripping diary entries. I would like to have connected with Jane and the later timeline a little more, but I must conclude that the author has written something quite impressive here and is indeed multi-talented!
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 