David and Adele seem like the ideal pair. He’s a successful psychiatrist, she is his picture-perfect wife who adores him. But why is he so controlling? And why is she keeping things hidden?
Having been entranced by ’13 Minutes’ I’ve gone through Pinborough’s other novels and had some mixed reactions. They’re well-written and there’s usually an element of mystery to them – and, on occasion, those twists you just don’t see coming. Having finally decided I had a clear enough run to read this without needing to keep stopping, I feel this is the same.
As with other reviews, this really is a book you need to know no more about than you’re given before you start.
The three main characters of David, Adele and Louise are all unlikeable to a degree. Their weaknesses are all too obvious, but this accurate depiction of them is, I think, what makes the premise of this work.
From the start it was all too clear that there was more to Adele and David’s relationship than we were being told. I spent most of the novel trying to second guess just who was playing whom…and I was getting there, but then the extra layer of oddness was drafted in and it totally bamboozled me.
Clever, very clever, but after I’d finished I couldn’t help but feel like I’d been conned. The ominous tone of the final scene also had me very uncomfortable!