HQ | May 2019 | 352 pgs
Source: Library
I'd mixed reactions reading the author's first novel, Sometimes I Lie, but I thought her writing was engaging so I decided to give her next book another try. Regrettably, it turned out this book was much more of a disappointment than her first.
When the book opens, the reader knows that our main protagonist, Aimee Sinclair, is an actress and she is not to be trusted. Although she isn't really a superstar, she's well-known in the industry and have starred in various films. One day after filming, she finds her husband's cell phone and wallet on their dining room table but he's nowhere to be seen. At first she isn't that concerned, after all they'd had a row the night before. However, her nonchalance turns to anxiety the following morning as she realised her cards have been denied and that $10,000 has been withdrawn from her bank account. With the disappearance of her husband, her initial suspect is him but the teller told her it was Aimee herself who closed out the account. Now here comes the unreliable part because Aimee has sort of a memory disorder due to a traumatic childhood. So what really happened to her husband and is she even responsible for his disappearance?
This story is narrated by Aimee between the present day and the past when she was a six-year-old girl. What seemed like a compelling read became a difficult reading route to me because of some disturbing topics. The reader knew she'd had a sad and a difficult childhood but what was later revealed in the end turned out to be too far-fetched and revolting to me. I understand there must be a certain level of "shock value" in psychological thrillers but this is way over the top. The author's writing was good (otherwise I'd have DNF'd it) but I just wished the story shouldn't have gone to that direction.
© 2019 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
Posts
Uh, oh. I think I'll leave this one alone.
Oh, no! How sad that this one was more disappointing than her first. Guess this is one author I won't be trying.
Jenclair - I thought this story has a promising premise and if only the ending was something else.
Lark - I don't know; I might still consider her next book. I'll probably check out the reviews first.
This one was a DNF for me. I eventually skipped ahead to see where it ended up and was disgusted. So disappointing as I liked her previous book.
Diane - I hope her next book will be better.
I am so sorry this turned out to be a disappointment, Melody.
Wendy - Some of the subjects turned me off; otherwise it'd be a good read.