"The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison~"Gone Girl" gone haywire!

SUMMARY :

"This summer's Gone Girl –  I gobbled it down in one sitting." – Anne Lamott, People

Jodi and Todd are at a bad place in their marriage. Much is at stake, including the affluent life they lead in their beautiful waterfront condo in Chicago, as she, the killer, and he, the victim, rush haplessly toward the main event. He is a committed cheater. She lives and breathes denial. He exists in dual worlds. She likes to settle scores. He decides to play for keeps. She has nothing left to lose.

Told in alternating voices, The Silent Wife is about a marriage in the throes of dissolution, a couple headed for catastrophe, concessions that can’t be made, and promises that won’t be kept. Expertly plotted and reminiscent of Gone Girl and These Things Hidden, The Silent Wife ensnares the reader from page one and does not let go.


PARTICULARS OF THIS BOOK :

Published by:  Penguin Books
Pages:  326
Genre:  Fiction/Thriller
Author:  A.S.A. Harrison
Purchase:  Amazon


ABOUT THE AUTHOR :

A. S. A. Harrison was the author of four books of nonfiction. The Silent Wife is her debut novel and she was at work on a new psychological thriller when she died in 2013. She lived with her husband, visual artist John Massey, in Toronto, Canada.



THE BOOKISH DAME REVIEWS :

I was so distressed to learn that Ms Harrison passed away from cancer in April of last year.  What a bright future she had in fiction writing as shown in this novel.  We have lost a very special author.

As it's been touted "The Silent Wife" is a sort of "Gone Girl," but I'd say it's definitely on steroids!  This is a major psychological study replete with records of the wife's visits with her therapist.  Most interesting concept...she's a psychotherapist, too!  I absolutely was glued to the pages all day.  There is never a word wasted in this book.  Every nuance is captured as the wife is acting them out.  Perfect timing in every "scene." The husband lives in a state of constant tension... in an environment of the unknown.  It's just a book that brings out a gut reaction in the reader!

I always enjoy a book that flips back and forth between the characters' viewpoints and individual lives as the action builds.  Ms Harrison manages to keep us tense and guessing even using this technique.  I was spellbound by their different mindsets...both having different life histories that led up to their actions, different coping mechanisms, and rationalizations for what was happening to them.  This is a love and hate story, one of a web of lies and deception of the highest order.

You'll find here a very sophisticated novel with a plot that isn't easy to guess for an outcome.  I stayed up well into the night reading it until my eyes just wouldn't stay open, I wanted to finish it so much to find out what happened in the end.  You'll never figure it out until the final pages.

Perfect book for book groups to discuss.

5 stars                     Deborah/TheBookishDame


 

"Dark Eden" by Patrick Carman ~ Your Worst Nightmare, Your Worst Fears!

Published by:  Harper Collins Children's Books

Pages:  336

Genre:  YA Fiction

Summary:

Fifteen-year-old Will Besting is sent by his doctor to Fort Eden, an institution meant to help patients suffering from crippling phobias. Once there, Will and six other teenagers take turns in mysterious fear chambers and confront their worst nightmares—with the help of the group facilitator, Rainsford, an enigmatic guide. When the patients emerge from the chamber, they feel emboldened by the previous night's experiences. But each person soon discovers strange, unexplained aches and pains. . . . What is really happening to the seven teens trapped in this dark Eden?

The Dame's Terrifying Report :

I haven't read anything written by Patrick Carman before, and I know I'm poorer for that.  He's a prolific author, and one that's greatly touted in YA fiction circles.  I plan to correct my ignorance very quickly since I found "Dark Eden" a most compelling novel.

First of all, I was drawn by the inspired concept for this novel.  I can never turn down a book about insanity or horrific phobias.  Stephen King is the man who ruined me for that.  Once I was hooked on his scary writings...it was the end for me!  Now I can't resist a novel about a creepy mental hospital, fears, strange cures and demented doctors.  Nor can I keep my bulging eyes from reading about deeply scary wooded areas, creepy-crawlies and being alone in those dark places.  Are you starting to see my "fears?"  Wheeeee  no dark edens for me, please...

All that being the preliminary to telling you that this "Dark Eden" fulfilled all my  hopes for a YA novel on the edge of asylum-unhinged scariness.  Patrick Carman had me from the first pages; I was at his mercy whether I wanted to be or not.  Poor Will Bestings...poor other teens...and poor me as we began to learn what the cures for their phobias was going to be, or what oddities might have to be endured to lose their assorted fears.

Will embodies the "best in" (no coincidence in the name) all teen aged boys who dive into a situation to help others that might call for strengths and extraordinary tasks they didn't even realize they had.  I loved this character and his willingness to understand what was happening to his "captured" group.  I loved that he embodied all those cynical boys out there, too.

What I loved most about the book were the psychological twists and turns that led us to the ending.  It had the touches of all slightly skewed minds...  What over-powering fears do you have that you'd give anything to do away with?

The problem, if I may identify one, would be that the other characters are not fully developed for my tastes.  While we understand who and what Will seems to be about, the other characters become mostly shadow figures outside of their "fears," and that causes us to be less inclined to attach ourselves to them.  That makes the conclusion less satisfying than it might have been.  But, getting there was good... Does this ruin the book?  No, but it may have made for more impact.

As for me, I'll be up late reading more books by Mr. Carman.

4 cabin creepin' stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame

PS:  By going to Harper Collins  you'll see this trailer   http://bcove.me/n3c0grqq