I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Mike loves Verity, and will stop at nothing to prove it. It’s all a game in the end - one that Mike and Verity have been playing for years. And Mike knows that Verity will always love him, won’t she?
I’m really conflicted with regards to this review, because my opinions are a bit all over the place. On the one hand, this is a well written novel. It’s contemplative and thoughtful, scenes set up with obvious care and attention to detail, and the pacing in the first part of the book is good. The way the story is told is multilayered and deeply clever too, as we see the characters buried in a web of lies, exposing multiple betrayals, building in tension to a rapid and disturbing series of events.
Mike, the protagonist is also a really interesting character. He's got so much emotional depth, and an attitude and behaviour that are anything but black and white. He’s clearly disillusioned with the world, and his very unhealthy relationship with Verity, which is all consuming, obsessive and stalker-like.
I think my main issue here is the writing style. It’s very internal in nature, relying on character development and train of though rather than actions and descriptions. We are inside Mike’s head most the time, following his thought process and reasonings, meaning we know his character very well, but less so the other people around him. It almost makes the reader feel very detached from the situations as they develop, which removed a lot of my ability to care about what was happening.
I also found the conclusion to be completely out of tone with the rest of the book. It goes from psychological thriller to courtroom drama about two thirds in, which I wasn’t expecting, and didn’t really like. I’m not a fan of these kind of novel at all, and thought it changed the feel of the overall story.
If courtroom dramas are your thing, or very introspective character driven thrillers, you might enjoy this more than me. I just found it ok.
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