Pages: 361
Published: 3rd April 2014
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Clarissa is becoming more and more frightened of her colleague, Rafe. He won’t leave her alone, and he refuses to take no for an answer. He is always there.
Being selected for jury service is a relief. The courtroom is a safe haven, a place where Rafe can’t be. But as a violent tale of kidnap and abuse unfolds, Clarissa begins to see parallels between her own situation and that of the young woman on the witness stand.
Realising that she bears the burden of proof, Clarissa unravels the twisted, macabre fairytale that Rafe has spun around them – and discovers that the ending he envisions is more terrifying than she could have imagined.
In many ways this psychological thriller is dark and impactful, but the jury is out on whether it makes a genuinely good story. Told with a somewhat unique blend of narratives and a containing a good attempt at dual plotlines that mirror each other, there are many moments of promise which sadly do not translate into the most engaging or captivating read.
The concept is a clever idea, as the court case forms a harrowing reflection of what Clarissa is going through and where it might lead. A lot of the descriptions are unsettling and as Rafe’s poisonous obsession with her escalates, there is an increasingly claustrophobic atmosphere and you are left rather on edge as to the lengths he will go to next.
However, the choice of narratives let this book down a little for me. It is split into days over the period of several weeks, with most chapters beginning with Clarissa’s journal entries detailing her encounters with Rafe. These are intriguingly written in the second person and are effective in building up menace even if I did not always love the way they were written. The rest is written using third person pronouns, which provides a sense of detachment whereas the first person would surely have been more powerful.
Rafe is a very nasty piece of work and some of his behaviour towards Clarissa is frightening, and what makes it tense is that you know he is likely to accost her or send her something malicious in the post at any moment. Where this portrayal of stalking is most impressive is where Clarissa weighs up when and indeed if she should go to the police and how much evidence she has against him. As the reader, you feel truly angry at how Rafe could be allowed to get away with so much.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the plot was when Clarissa tries to find out what happened to Laura, the previous victim of Rafe who went missing. The way that strand developed was quite sad and it would have been nice for it to have been resolved a bit more completely by the end. Other than that, the ending was good in the sense that it was realistic – not sad but not unrealistically happy either.
Along with the central plot involving the threat of Rafe, there is the ongoing spectacle of the court case, which is meaningful in the context of what Clarissa is going through. The growing romance she has with her fellow juror Robert rarely felt especially convincing to me and some of the dialogue was not the best, but there was a surprise waiting there at the end.
Overall, a book that excels when explores the big questions arising from its themes, although the writing does not compel you in the way that it should. It is uncomfortable and that at least will provoke some strong emotions, but ultimately not all of the necessary components quite come together, so the results are very mixed.
There are lots of trigger warnings in this book, so do tread carefully. Stalking and sexual harassment are the obvious ones from the main plotline, but in the court case sections there are some quite graphic descriptions of rape and sexual assault.
Born in the United States but raised in the UK, Claire Kendal achieved success with The Book Of You, which was her debut novel released in 2014. She has gone on to publish two subsequent psychological thrillers – The Second Sister in 2017 and I Spy two years later.
A teacher of English Literature and Creative Writing, she lives in the South West of England, where this book is set.
A hard-hitting and unsettling book which definitely had me invested, but I wish it was more engaging.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 