Title: INVISIBLE GIRL
Author: Lisa Jewell
Read: September 2020
Expected publication: out now
My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Book Description:
Owen Pick’s life is falling apart.
In his thirties, a virgin, and living in his aunt’s spare bedroom, he has just
been suspended from his job as a geography teacher after accusations of sexual
misconduct, which he strongly denies. Searching for professional advice online,
he is inadvertently sucked into the dark world of incel—involuntary
celibate—forums, where he meets the charismatic, mysterious, and sinister Bryn.
Across the street from Owen lives the Fours family, headed by mom Cate, a
physiotherapist, and dad Roan, a child psychologist. But the Fours family have
a bad feeling about their neighbor Owen. He’s a bit creepy and their teenaged
daughter swears he followed her home from the train station one night.
Meanwhile, young Saffyre Maddox spent three years as a patient of Roan Fours. Feeling
abandoned when their therapy ends, she searches for other ways to maintain her
connection with him, following him in the shadows and learning more than she
wanted to know about Roan and his family. Then, on Valentine’s night, Saffyre
Maddox disappears—and the last person to see her alive is Owen Pick.
What attracted me to this book:
I have loved Lisa Jewell’s books
ever since reading THE HOUSE WE GREW UP IN (which still remains my favourite
book of hers) a decade or so ago, and she has been an auto buy author for me
ever since. I particularly love the way she presents us with an insight into
the psyche of her well-rounded characters, in a way that makes them come to
life on the pages.
My musings:
I am happy to say that Jewell has come through for
me again with her latest book – here we have her trademark troubled characters,
all wrapped up in a multi-layered, suspenseful domestic mystery. The secret lies
in the slow simmer of danger as things are trending South in our protagonists’
lives, like a train destined to plunge into the abyss as all brakes have
failed. Such is the situation for Owen, a loner in his 30s who is so socially
inept and afraid of women that he has never yet had a sexual partner and still
lives with his forbidding aunt in a tiny portion of her house. When a spade of
sexual attacks occurs in the area, and a young girl disappears, everyone is
very eager to point their finger at the “weirdo” living in the neighbourhood.
The premise of this one seemed all
too real, because we all tend to find scapegoats in the people that don’t quite
fit into society. I found it both heartbreaking but also interesting as I challenged
my own prejudices and misconceptions. If I was a parent, would I too be afraid
of the strange man living next door? Just on account of him being different? As
Owen is accused of the crimes and his life slowly unravels, my heart ached for
him, even though I admit that I also found him slightly creepy.
I did feel at times that the underlying
themes were chosen to reflect the current political climate and came a little
bit close to preaching a message at times, especially towards the end. However,
it did prompt me to reflect, and kept me turning the pages, so I cannot
complain!
Summary:
INVISIBLE GIRL is a slow burning and yet complex
mystery that will appeal to readers who appreciate a character driven story
that delves into the psyche of different people and explores the way they think
and act. Jewell has mastered the art of creating suspense without any of the
hard hitting gore and horror of other mysteries, but rather uses our society’s
prejudices and biases to raise our hackles. In the end, it’s those preconceived
ideas that will prompt reflection as the answers are revealed in a satisfying
finale. I really have come to love Jewell’s writing style and can’t wait to
read her next novel.
No comments:
Post a Comment