Title: White Bodies
My
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
Felix and Tilda seem like the perfect couple: young and in
love, a financier and a beautiful up-and-coming starlet. But behind their
flawless facade, not everything is as it seems.
Callie, Tilda's unassuming twin, has watched her sister visibly shrink under Felix's domineering love. She has looked on silently as Tilda stopped working, nearly stopped eating, and turned into a neat freak, with mugs wrapped in Saran Wrap and suspicious syringes hidden in the bathroom trash. She knows about Felix's uncontrollable rages, and has seen the bruises on the white skin of her sister's arms.
Worried about the psychological hold that Felix seems to have over Tilda, Callie joins an Internet support group for victims of abuse and their friends. However, things spiral out of control and she starts to doubt her own judgment when one of her new acquaintances is killed by an abusive man. And then suddenly Felix dies--or was he murdered?
Callie, Tilda's unassuming twin, has watched her sister visibly shrink under Felix's domineering love. She has looked on silently as Tilda stopped working, nearly stopped eating, and turned into a neat freak, with mugs wrapped in Saran Wrap and suspicious syringes hidden in the bathroom trash. She knows about Felix's uncontrollable rages, and has seen the bruises on the white skin of her sister's arms.
Worried about the psychological hold that Felix seems to have over Tilda, Callie joins an Internet support group for victims of abuse and their friends. However, things spiral out of control and she starts to doubt her own judgment when one of her new acquaintances is killed by an abusive man. And then suddenly Felix dies--or was he murdered?
My musings:
When I was offered to read and review a “creepy and
addictive” psychological thriller by the publisher, I jumped at the opportunity
and I was not disappointed! If I had to describe White Bodies in two words, it
would be “disturbing” and “original”. On starting this book, I had no idea
where it was headed, except that it could not possibly lead to anything good.
There is a constant tension underlying the story that created a sense of dread
and foreboding, and yet had me totally hooked, to a point where I sat up way
too late into the night reading.
Love or obsession? In a nutshell, White Bodies centres
around the sister relationship between twins Callie and Tilda. Tilda has always
been the successful, beautiful and self-confident sister, overshadowing the
slightly awkward Callie, who desperately tries to be part of her twin’s life at
all costs. As the girls grow into women, this dysfunctional dynamic leads to
some quite bizarre events!
I admit that in the beginning I found the narrator and main
protagonist Callie strange and disturbing, and was worried that this would
prevent me from bonding with her and enjoying the story. But my fear was
unfounded. Whilst Callie definitely has problems, I warmed to her as the story
went along, even though I was questioning how reliable she was as a narrator.
Just when I thought I could trust her, she would be off on another tangent that
had me questioning everything I had read! In fact, each and every character in
this book is flawed, and some are downright unlikeable. I had a few “Ewwwww!”
moments of disbelief and surprise, and believe me, I see a lot of weird things
in my job as RN in an emergency department, so am not easily shocked. Anyway, I
certainly won’t spoil the surprise here, you will have to read it yourself to
find out the gory details! This is not a cosy, feel-good twin mystery, but a
solid psychological thriller that certainly packs a punch!
In the vast sea of books that call themselves “psychological
thrillers”, this one stood out from the fray with a concept that is as original
as it is disturbing, not afraid to tread where others wouldn’t. Yet it always
managed to maintain a sense of empathy for the characters, pulling back at the
very moment when I felt it may go too far. It is this art of subtlety that
created the “psychological” aspect, the thrill, the suspense for me. Robins proves
that a creepy thriller doesn’t need blood, guts and gore to shock and confront.
In fact, there was none of that, as the story in all its head-shaking horror
was purely character driven. I just love it when a book messes with my mind
like this!
Summary:
If you are looking for a character driven, disturbing and original psychological thriller that stands out from the rest, this book is perfect for you. Even for those sleuth readers who may have an inkling of the whodunit aspect, the journey to the conclusion is well worth the effort. And I dare anyone who thinks they know how it will all end! White Bodies messed with my mind like few thrillers can, and I fully recommend it to all lovers of the genre.
Thank
you to Netgalley and Touchstone for the free electronic copy of this novel and
for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
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