After the first chapter of this book I was thinking No! This is not for me! The protagonist was a malicious, narcissistic, jealous, and quite deranged person without any empathy for others. As is my wont, I read on, seeking to give the book a fair chance…
Like being unable to look away from a train wreck, or a car crash, I couldn’t help but keep reading. Betty (aka Elizabeth, Lizzie) is the sole narrator. Her disturbed musings and thoughts are the sole focus of the novel. She is the epitome of a psychopath as defined here.
Betty has always been very jealous of her younger, favoured sister Gloria. At first it appears it is just a case of some serious sibling rivalry… We eventually come to realize that Betty has an unnatural attachment to her family home, called Pipets. By ‘unnatural’ I mean she talks about it as if it is a sentient being. She calls it ‘House’ much as you would say Peter did this or that. Her sole desire is to be alone with ‘House’. She goes so far as to kiss the walls when she is home alone…
When, as adults, Betty and Gloria’s mother dies, she leaves Pipets to Gloria and her husband, Henry. Betty is aghast at the perceived injustice. She is the eldest after all, and she LOVES Pipets. She then makes it her sole mission in life to right this injustice and make Pipets her own. She begins to plot her revenge… Her behaviour becomes more and more unhinged. She forgets to eat and seems to subsist on gin.
The house and it’s extensive grounds were very well described. The overall tone of the novel was atmospheric one with gothic vibes.
Though at no point did I come to ‘like’ Betty, she was utterly captivating. Her fragile and twisted psyche was fascinating. As her crimes morph from mere thoughts and fantasies to actual crimes, the reader wonders if she will every be caught and brought to justice.
The writing, I have to say, was extremely clever. It kept me reading despite myself. I usually have to find something to like about fictional characters. Betty had no redeeming qualities. As she was the only narrative focus of the novel, one would think I’d dislike it, or even not finish it. However, in this case, the reverse was true. I was mesmerized – given privy to Betty’s thoughts was engrossing, in a way that made me feel slightly guilty.
With an ending that many horror novelists might aspire to, this novel will remain in my memory for some time – in a chilling way. Brilliantly written, modern gothic fiction.
This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster Canada via NetGalley. This title is from my extensive NetGalley backlist.
Publication date: April 3, 2018
Publisher: Gallery Books / Simon & Schuster Canada
ISBN: 9781501173295 ASIN: B074ZWCSQ1 – 320 pages
Maureen Lindley was born in Berkshire and grew up in Scotland. She was trained as a psychotherapist and also worked as a photographer, antique dealer and a dress designer before writing her first book, The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel. Maureen lives in the Wye valley on the Welsh borders with her husband.
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