The heading ‘Transcript of interview with Mr Rohan Allerton, husband of Abigail Allerton:20 December 2019’ on the opening page of this novel is very effective in introducing a sense of tension and mystery. I immediately found myself asking ‘What’s happened to Abi? Why is Rohan being interviewed, and by whom?’
Moving backwards and forwards in time (often within an individual chapter) and with further intermittent extracts from the interview, the narrative gradually reveals the complexity of Abi and Grace’s relationship. Although they’d been friends at university, two years after Abi graduated Grace had moved to Australia and, as the story begins, it’s been four years since they had any contact. So, when Grace is about to return to the UK and wants to re-establish contact why, when it’s clear that there are unresolved issues between the two women, does Abi invite her to move in whilst she house hunts? Yes she’ll be company for Abi whilst Rohan is away in New York for a few weeks on business, but does Grace have an ulterior motive in wanting to re-stablish contact?
Although Abi had wanted to study art at university, her father had pressurised her into taking a degree in Management Science, a subject in which she had absolutely no interest. Unsurprisingly she soon came to hate the course but Grace, having recognised her friend’s artistic talent, had encouraged her to at least start painting in her spare time. It soon becomes clear that Abi must have continued to take her advice to nurture her talent because, some time after graduating, she had produced a series of paintings which had resulted in a very successful sell-out exhibition. The gallery is now very keen to put on another show of her work but the date for the next exhibition is constantly being delayed because inspiration has deserted her. No amount of encouragement from either her husband or the gallery owner is helping her to overcome this block, instead she’s spending her time fulfilling commissions for pet portraits and volunteering at a local hospice. However, she and Rohan have recently bought an old, decrepit house, one which had attracted her as soon as she saw it, particularly once she’d discovered the attic room which she could visualise converting into a perfect studio. In spite of his concerns about the amount of work the renovations will involve, she’s managed to convince him that a project like this will help to unlock her creativity.
It’s difficult to go into much detail about how this story develops without revealing clues which would lead to spoilers. Essentially it’s a complex well-plotted psychological thriller which explores mental fragility, the destructive nature of toxic, co-dependent relationships and the effects of bullying, manipulative behaviour. Although it soon becomes clear that there has always been an imbalance of power in the relationship between these two women, it’s only gradually that the extent of Grace’s toxic behaviour in relation to Abi becomes apparent. I was impressed by the psychological integrity of the author’s portrayal of the dynamics of their relationship whilst they were students and then of Abi’s behaviour as this fragile young woman struggles to cope with the impact of Grace’s return into her life. Whenever there were indications that Abi was gaining some insight into the nature of their friendship, I wanted to cheer her on, to encourage her to use these to challenge Grace and shift the balance of power. However, as we all know, old patterns of behaviour usually prove difficult to change and there were times when it felt really difficult to observe what was happening yet feel powerless to do anything about it!
As Abi is the narrator the story is told mainly from her viewpoint however, the author’s skilful, nuanced character development enabled me to very clearly visualise each of the other characters and to understand their reactions, and interactions, as Abi’s behaviour became increasingly unpredictable. The impact of these changes on Rohan and his close family were particularly well-portrayed, as was their frustration at feeling powerless to help. I mostly found it very easy to empathise with their reactions – although not with his mother’s controlling, intrusive behaviour … I certainly wouldn’t have wanted her to have a key to my house!
In addition to her portrayals of her human characters, the author very effectively made the house a central ‘character’. She captured how certain aspects of the house’s disturbing history, and the decidedly creepy nature of some of the possessions the previous family had left behind, all contributed to Abi’s increasing fearfulness and feelings of being haunted not only by the past, but by what was happening in the present. This lent a particularly Gothic vibe to the story.
Although I found a number of the plot twists rather predictable and, at a very early stage had guessed the significance of the transcript extracts of the interview with Rohan, I nevertheless enjoyed reading this chilling and unsettling psychological thriller about guilt, obsession, manipulation and deteriorating mental health. Although I initially thought its pacing was rather slow, I soon came to realise how effective this was in drawing me in to Abi’s inner-life, in enabling me to understand why she behaved as she did and to recognise the emotional demons she was struggling with. That I at times felt it a very uncomfortable and distressing place to be is a testament to the author’s skill in conveying how multi-layered our emotional lives are and how insidiously destructive secrets can be.
I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )