Excellent: a real page-turner. And for once, the conclusion lived up to the build-up.
Green manages to spin an intriguing tale out of a tragic late-night encounter on London's Waterloo Bridge, when Neve Carey witnesses a young stranger throw herself into the freezing Thames. It feels genuinely brave that protagonist Neve's life is such a train wreck: she is a 30 year old woman with the instincts (and bad habits) of an immature teen. In rapid succession, we see her lose boyfriend, home, sister's goodwill and job. So bad luck seems to follow her everywhere, even a surprise bequest by the suicide which rapidly spirals into a series of disasters, based, it seems as usual, on poor choices, and even worse impulse control. Until gradually Neve -- and the reader -- realize that the tragic young woman might not have been imagining things when she believed that someone was out to get her. And whoever that someone was has now shifted their attention to Neve ...
The "who" may be a little obvious, but the "why" is cleverly camouflaged until the big reveal at the end. A great holiday read because, if you're like me, you won't want to put it down!
Green manages to spin an intriguing tale out of a tragic late-night encounter on London's Waterloo Bridge, when Neve Carey witnesses a young stranger throw herself into the freezing Thames. It feels genuinely brave that protagonist Neve's life is such a train wreck: she is a 30 year old woman with the instincts (and bad habits) of an immature teen. In rapid succession, we see her lose boyfriend, home, sister's goodwill and job. So bad luck seems to follow her everywhere, even a surprise bequest by the suicide which rapidly spirals into a series of disasters, based, it seems as usual, on poor choices, and even worse impulse control. Until gradually Neve -- and the reader -- realize that the tragic young woman might not have been imagining things when she believed that someone was out to get her. And whoever that someone was has now shifted their attention to Neve ...
The "who" may be a little obvious, but the "why" is cleverly camouflaged until the big reveal at the end. A great holiday read because, if you're like me, you won't want to put it down!
