Published by Celadon Books Genres: Adult Fiction, Contempory, Fiction, Mystery, thriller
Format: ARC, eBook
Alicia Berenson is a famous painter who has been admitted to the Grove, a forensic unit in North London. She has been charged with murdering her husband, Graham, who is a fashion photographer, after he returns home late one evening. After shooting Graham, Alicia has never spoken again.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who accepted a job at the Grove in the hopes of working with Alicia. He is obsessed with learning her motive. He knows he can get her to talk. Others have tried – others have failed. Will he be successful?
Although Alicia does not speak, the reader gets a glimpse into her life through Theo’s discussions with those in her life. Well, more to the point, we get their impressions of her, things they know about her and their own assumptions about her. They seem to have no problem sharing what they know about her but why hasn’t anyone been to visit her? The reader gets to learn even more about Alicia through her diary entries. Finally, Alicia “speaks” via the written word. But what could have led her to shoot her husband? Will she ever speak? Why isn’t she speaking now? Is it by choice? Is it due to trauma? hmmmm
Theo is also an interesting character. Most of the novel is told through him. The reader also gets a glimpse into his life, his thoughts and the inner workings of his mind. I was curious as to why he was so obsessed with learning her motive. Why is he so driven to learn the truth? Is he a fan or her artwork? Will learning the truth advance his career?
This is a very clever tale which grabbed my attention right away. I was intrigued to learn what was going on. I had several theories and assumptions. Some were close and some were way off base – as in a mile off base. Of course, there is that shocking reveal – I did not see that coming – AT ALL. It really was the perfect “OMG, what did I just read?” moment followed by an “Aha!” moment.
This book was a page turner for me. I kept turning the pages to learn how the book was going to unfold. The ending felt a little bit rushed and I wanted to just a tad bit more. Overall, a very enjoyable read even thought one character really annoyed me.
Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.