This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Debs Carr
Kathy seems to have the perfect life, a handsome husband, Markus, a new baby and a fantastic job. She has just returned to work after maternity leave and is finding it hard leaving her baby. Heja, her colleague at the magazine, used to be with Markus and wants him back. She can see that, despite her show of bravado, Kathy is trying to hide from everyone that her life isn’t as perfect as she wants them to assume. Rather than letting Kathy try to hold everything together, Heja is determined to nudge the cracks in Kathy’s live into chasms.
The tension between the two is palpable. Kathy is the gentler of the two women, but she is aware that Heja doesn’t like her. Heja doesn't dislike Kathy, she hates her. Heja is intense, dark, very twisted and, more than anything, she's determined to get everything Kathy has, and sets about doing so.
The story alternates between each of the women’s viewpoints and as the book progresses, the tension increases. You get to know their personalities and more about their motives behind the way they act. I thought I knew these women at the beginning of the book, but my opinion of each of them altered as I discovered more about their lives. I wanted Kathy to be stronger and was fascinated by Heja, desperate to know what she was going to do next. Kathy was the nicer of the two, but a little too weak. Heja was very dark and twisted, jealous and possessive of Markus. The actions she took were shocking. It made me question how I would feel if I was up against someone as cunning and determined as Heja.
The ending was shocking and very clever, and I think this book would make an excellent film.
8/10