Category: Book Review

The perseverance paid off on this one… three attempts though.

The plot

Anna hasn’t been outside her flat for the last 10 months; she’s too terrified to. She has neglected life, she’s been forgotten by society, and her window is the only view of the world.

The world she knows gains some excitement – in the form of neighbours moving in opposite to her. The Russells – husband, wife and teenager – a picture perfect family.

One evening, a scream pierces through the silent night. Anna goes to her peephole to the world, to her neighbours. And as she looks out, she witnesses something horrific.

She needs to go get help. But she can’t go out. Even if she calls the Police, will they believe her?

My review

I have to be honest, this took me three attempts before I was enveloped into Dr Anna Fox’s world. This was my first, and my biggest, criticism of this novel. It’s also why I struggled to rate this novel come the end.

By the end I was like, “well written, decent story, nice twist (even if I did predict it on this occasion)“. But reflecting on my experience overall, it shouldn’t take three attempts to get into a novel. It was the amazing reviews this book had received which urged me to continue.

With a theme of film noir throughout the book, the plot itself screams Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ (which I believe Finn does on purpose), which is a cracking film. But equally, it feels as though this plot has been done many times before – Rear Window, Disturbia (the film, which was also inspired by Rear Window I believe), and now The Woman in the Window.

I would say that once the book FINALLY gets to the scream that’s when Finn’s writing really comes to life. You can sense a shift. I found myself reading faster and faster, trying not to jump ahead to find out what’s going on.

My next issue is around some clumsy writing and the repetition of a… let’s call it a phrase. Due to the repetition, it actually gave the twist away for me before it happened. I read the phrase once, then again, and again, and again AND AGAIN. It was at this point I turned to my wife and said, “I think I’ve guessed this book already.” It turns out I had. Actually, I didn’t even guess, I just picked up on the repetition of the ‘phrase’.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐

Ok, so this was a tough one. Originally I wanted to rate it 3.5-4. The beginning however let it down massively, which makes me think 2. I had settled on 3.5 (rounded up to 4 on Amazon), but I don’t think I can justify that rating unfortunately – not when other books much stronger I’ve rated 3.

So, in the end…

A bittersweet rating of 3 – I would be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this one!

⭐⭐⭐
3/5

A great start to my isolation reading!

This is my first read in COVID-19 lockdown – what a start!

I was thrown into a dark, miserable and disturbing world. By reading the blurb, you can see this darkness.

The plot

It’s a simple enough premise yet extremely disturbing – Maggie (who is being held somewhere against her will) has seven days to save her son, Max. Otherwise, on his third birthday, just like her other children, he’ll be separated from Maggie. But why? Where will he go? Who will take him? We, just like Maggie, have NO IDEA.

What to expect

An instant, gripping hook. Mystery, questions, grit, anger, sadness, darkness.

There are so many questions. I had so many theories, but none of them were right.

The story will not disappoint. We may be locked up with Maggie, but we get to see what is going on outside of the basement. The segments in the basement are engaging. It’s a heartbreaking and difficult read at times, seeing the effect Maggie’s disappearance has on her family. Desperation, despair, sadness. I imagine it to be quite a realistic view and experience if you were to lose a loved one in such a way. Never knowing what happened to them, always wondering if they’re still alive. It’s enticing and addictive. You just pray the struggles are worth it when there’s a happy ending… you hope it’s happy.

There’s a shift in the story at one point. Without saying too much, the hunger to finish changes for a different reason. At this point I think some people will think, “well why should I bother carrying on”, but keep at it, it’s worth continuing.

This is a great read. When I wasn’t reading Seven Days it was on my mind. And when I was reading it, I was reading fast, yet not wanting it to end!

I imagine this was a tough story to write, knowing exactly how to tell the story, particularly when working towards the ending and the big reveal. But I think Alex Lake did a good job.

A 4.5 star, rounded up to 5.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

A classic British psychological thriller

Is it odd to call “The Silent Patient” a British psychological thriller? Well it seemed very British to me, it screamed psychological thriller, and it’s a novel that I think we’ll all be reading for many years to come.

The plot

Based on Alicia Berenson, a famous painter who is married to fashion photographer, Gabriel, she has it all. That is, until, one evening, she shoots her husband five times in the face. Since the crime, Alicia decides to earn her name as The Silent Patient – she refuses to talk, completely.

Many psychologists attempt to get her talking, but with no such luck.

Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, has always wanted the opportunity to work with Alicia and get her talking. The opportunity to work with Alicia presents itself to him, and that is the start of a journey for Theo.

But the question remains, will Theo manage to get Alicia to reveal why she did what she did?

Meticulous, smart, unputdownable, suspenseful

I’ll try not to ruin this one for you.

It’s hard because all I want to do is admire the clever writing, which I can’t do without revealing something about this book… but I mustn’t.

So, what can I say about this one without ruining it?

It’s easy to read. I found it really simple to get through. You’re able spectate the story and let it unfold. You can really focus on what is going on and analyse each character as they’re introduced and as they develop.

It’s worth mentioning you will be very paranoid reading this, suspecting everyone and everything.

The plot is intriguing. As you can see above, the plot is different.

Straight away there’s doubts about a seemingly perfect relationship. But then what if it was a happy relationship, then what? How does an innocent man get killed? Worst of all, why did his wife kill him? It’s all too much.

There’s layers to this book. The main plot line is great, but there’s layers to this one. Great layers, like a Victoria Sponge!

You will feel on edge at time. Sometimes you can feel a chill down the spine reading this one. It’s intense at points.

For someone who can’t talk, Alicia as a character is fascinating. There’s so much to her, she’s an enthralling character who you can’t help but admire and be terrified of.

It’ll leave you gobsmacked. Well, I was on the bus when I was left reeling at one particular moment… and that’s all I can say on that.

A great read, my first 5 star novel in some time!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I don’t like giving these reviews… but here’s my truth.

The less said about this novel the better really. It wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever read, but it was lacking in so many departments.

The plot was… ok. It wasn’t all that enticing, but it obviously had enough to make me want to know more and read to the end. Part of me thought there was going to be something more underlying here.

My amazon review sums it all up well:

“Cliché after cliché, the characters were dry and ‘the twist’ wasn’t a surprise at all. Disappointing.”

I guessed what was going on very early on. But I read on, hoping that there was going to be a shocking twist.

There wasn’t.

Unfortunately, we’ve all already read and watched these kind of stories before.

** (2 stars)

This was Lapena’s last chance to convince me…

I’m always willing to give books and authors a chance. This was Lapena’s last chance to convince me.

I wasn’t at all fussed with “The Couple Next Door”, but “A Stranger in the House” was the chance to convince me to read more of her work.

Unfortunately, I’ve not been converted. So this will be my last read.

If you thought differently of this novel, then please let me know. I’m interested to know what you like about it.