I’d been intrigued by this novel when I read a sample from NetGalley, and was very excited to be sent a copy by the publishers in advance of publication in January 2017.
Having just finished this, my feelings are mixed. I raced through the book, desperate to know where this was going, but there were things that I feel will increasingly infuriate me once a little time has passed.
The story is told from two perspectives: that of Emma, then, and Jane, now. Both women look similar and have similar vulnerabilities (which only come to light as we progress through the narrative). Through what seems a fortunate set of circumstances, the women are authorised to rent an award-winning architect-designed home that comes with a clear set of rules that need to be followed. I’ll be frank, nobody in their right mind would deign to go along with this set-up. The approach of the two women to this experience, and the behaviour of Edward the architect, smack of some serious personality issues. Dare I say it, the whole premise of this experience felt exploitative.
From the beginning of the story it is evident that something awful happened to Emma. The evident similarities in the experiences of the narratives – told in a fairly linear fashion, though separated by some time – sets alarm bells ringing for Jane. The page-turning element was here in abundance, and it doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that there is talk of a big-budget Hollywood movie before the book has even been published. I could not wait to find out exactly what was going on, and spent a lot of time second-guessing who exactly had done what, and why.
What concerned me most in this was the portrayal of the main female characters. Though we come to learn more about Emma, and perhaps come to understand her better by the end of the novel, I couldn’t help but feel she was presented in such a way as to make us believe that she deserved what was happening to her. Nothing is quite as it seems, but there was a sense that Delaney (thought to be another previously published thriller writer) put Emma in scenarios that encourage us to see her negatively. This is less apparent with Jane – who comes out fighting – but the behaviour of Edward was, at best, obsessive, but, at worst, abusive.
There were some genuinely creepy moments revolving around the house, and the experience of living by these clearly defined rules. Worryingly, there were moments where you could see the appeal of such an existence. What this reaction says about me, I probably don’t want to know!
All in all, this was a story that was skilfully presented. Perhaps, if I’m being brutally honest, this is a novel that seduces with its pared-down approach to telling us the story. While I found the narrative cleverly structured, I was more than a little surprised by the final outcome as there was a lot to explain this that I don’t feel we were given. I also found it hard to be asked to sympathise with such intensely unlikeable characters. What I did admire was the ending, which suggests that the story could continue in the future.