I’m giving this book 4 stars because the majority of it is worth that. The ending, however, I would have given a 3.

I’ve read all of Paula Hawkins’s books, and the writing just gets better and better. The descriptions of the island of Eris and the weather and brooding nature are all fantastic. I could picture everything
so well. I love the way the weather reflects the atmosphere of the plot and the characters. That is really nicely done.

This is the story of an artist, Vanessa Chapman, and the museum curator, Becker, who is trying to gather together all of Chapman’s works for an upcoming display. Her art is found on Eris Island, where Grace (Chapman’s friend/lover/wannabe-possessor) lives, and Becker has to deal with Grace in getting all of the art.

The story alternates between Becker’s POV, Grace’s POV and excerpts from Vanessa’s diaries. A story unfolds of love, possession, hatred and passion. Grace is a fabulous character! Paula Hawkins is a master of writing unreliable narrators, and Grace is a great example of that. Right from the start, we are made to feel she is slightly dangerous. But it takes a while for us to uncover the full extent of that.

Now, to the end. I don’t mind books with endings that are ambiguous or leave us wondering what actually happened. But this ending just annoyed me. SPOILER ALERT: Grace slips Becker some morphine. That was a nice touch which I wasn’t expecting. This is after their hike to the cliff’s edge, where we are waiting the whole time for Grace to shove Becker over the edge. Nice build up, tension as high as it can be. But she doesn’t. Then, she slips him the morphine nice touch. But, the end … Becker is in his car on the causeway as it fills with water, but he gets out, but he can’t stay floating. he hears Helena’s voice, no, it’s not her. It’s all a bit wish-washy (excuse the pun). And it happened quietly and in a much too understated way. And then, the diary entry at the end that doesn’t really mean anything. Nope. I didn’t like the ending. It could have been a lot stronger.

Other than that, I still recommend this book for a good read.

People who enjoy psychological thrillers. Also, people who love to read about the dark and brooding Scottish isles. The descriptions in this novel are first class!

The descriptions of the Eris Island and the way the weather tells a story of its own.

The end! Please see above.

Go to Scotland and experience the wildernes.

Tense, excited, appalled. But all in all good way.

Paula Hawkins. In the past, I e loved her plots but felt the writing could have been tighter. This one, however, she has really stepped up her game. I love her writing, and I can’t fault it. The plot, if I’m honest, didn’t grip me as much as her previous novels, though.

It’s a wonderfully descriptive book. You feel as though you are trapped, isolated on this harsh and unforgiving island,

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Created Dec 07, 2024 at 7:15am • Submit your own review...