Sadie and Will Foust move their family from Chicago to a remote island off the coast of Maine after Will’s sister dies by suicide, leaving them to care for their orphaned niece. The transition is strained by the eerie atmosphere of their inherited, dilapidated house and the discovery of a murdered neighbor, Morgan Baines. As a local detective investigates the crime, Sadie becomes fixated on Morgan’s life while battling her own deteriorating mental state and growing distrust of her husband. Detailed internal monologues reveal Sadie’s history of trauma and the precarious nature of her memory.
Fans of psychological suspense read this for the intricate plotting and the unreliable narrator trope. The story appeals to readers interested in how untreated mental health disorders and childhood isolation affect adult behavior. Instead of a straightforward procedural, the narrative focuses on the fragility of identity and the subjective nature of truth. Readers finish the book with a perspective on the defense mechanisms the human brain employs to survive domestic stress and deep-seated guilt.
- Published
- 2020
- Language
- EN
