Pages: 386
Published: 20th July 2023
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Content warnings: Domestic violence/abuse, child grooming, alcoholism
The paths of two women – Alix Summer and Josie Fair – cross when they are out celebrating their birthdays in the same restaurant.
Big coincidence: they are birthday twins; not only this – they were born in the same hospital.
Alix is a journalist and podcaster. Could this be her next subject, she wonders: the story of two women who share the same birthday but whose lives could not be more different. She proposes this to Josie, and they start sharing their stories in Alix’s recording studio.
But slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life — and into her home.
Soon Alix starts to worry that Josie will never leave.
But, as quickly as she arrived, Josie disappears. Only then does Alix discover that Josie has left a terrible and terrifying legacy in her wake, and that her family is in more danger than she ever thought possible…
This is an addictive story that succeeds in no small part through its enticing premise. Revolving around a podcast about a seemingly ordinary woman, it becomes a dark insight into a character who is altogether more sinister, and leads to a mystery that keeps hanging on the edge with little idea of how it is going to end. In other words, perfect thriller material.
Told in a multimedia format, the way it is all laid out is easy to follow even allowing for the curious lack of page breaks, and it also ensures that the plot moves at a reasonably brisk pace. There are always clues being planted and red herrings craftily scattered throughout the narrative, giving it a kind of unreliability that is in keeping with the title.
Without a doubt it keeps you guessing, as even though it is obvious from the beginning that Josie is a manipulative and rather nasty piece of work, she has many hidden depths. You know that there is something really malevolent there, but what you do not know is what she is actually capable of, and the extent of the mysteries surrounding her. The state of her two daughters, Roxy and Erin, are kept top secret for a long time just to emphasise this.
In her previous novel The Family Remains, Lisa Jewell uses the technique of placing a cliffhanger about halfway through and with everything hinging on the outcome, finally reveals what happened at the very end of the book. She uses a similar technique here but with a little more subtlety, as a key moment takes place in the plot that opens up several different possibilities, especially when the transcripts from the Netflix documentary are added to the mix.
Although one of the twists that comes later on is easy to work out, the rest of it lies largely in the realm of unpredictability. Josie is such a slippery character that she turns elusive, even more so when the story takes a major abrupt turn with the sub-plot about Nathan. There is also some clever writing on show, as some seemingly harmless things are mentioned early on which become important later.
In truth, none of the characters are massively likeable. As discussed already, there are a lot of red flags where Josie is concerned. Not only is she naturally suspicious and dishonest, but she is also a total opportunist. She has the air of a person who would believe a lie if she repeated it often enough, while her relationship with Walter is deeply problematic.
For all of Josie’s flaws, it has to be said that Walter is equally responsible for their dysfunctionality. The way that the two of them got together was creepy and unsettling regardless of the perspective, and all round he just appeared extremely passive. Indeed, the whole thing between them was toxic and their exchanges were the parts I enjoyed reading the least.
The other main character is Alix, the host of the podcast. She is fairly amiable, but also frustrating and naïve, with how easily she is taken in by Josie and how she allows the other woman to infringe upon her life in such a profound way. For all of her status as a successful podcaster with a middle class existence, she lacks the ability to take control of any situation.
Whereas Josie and Alix are written in the third person and everything the happened between them in the past, the Netflix documentary sections offer a different dynamic. It gives away some interesting snippets about the parts of the story you have just read and puts them in wider context, such as Alix discussing her thoughts about Josie’s revelations. The manner in which it is presented is quite believable and as a whole it enhances the plot.
This is slightly more character driven than some of Lisa Jewell’s other books, and that really comes out when Josie is recording episodes of the podcast. These sections are well written because you know that what she says cannot be taken as gospel, but there are bits of truth hidden among the lies and it challenges you to pick them apart. As the plot gets darker, the atmosphere noticeably does too.
Overall, there may not be many likeable characters in sight, but it is still a gripping read with a plot that fascinates from start to finish. With the Netflix documentary on top, the concept of the podcast offers the right amount of originality to stand out alongside other titles with similar formats, and the mystery is never simple to decipher at any step of the way. It is well crafted and enjoyably complex.
A very good concept which is executed well, plus an unpredictable plot that makes you think twice about everything. Lisa Jewell is one of my favourite authors and she has delivered another great read here.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Stephen Reads Books 