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| ★★★★✰ |
Synopsis: 'NEW N A M E . NEW F A M I L Y. S H I N Y. NEW. ME . ' Annie's mother is a serial killer. The only way she can make it stop is to hand her in to the police. But out of sight is not out of mind. As her mother's trial looms, the secrets of her past won't let Annie sleep, even with a new foster family and name - Milly. A fresh start. Now, surely, she can be whoever she wants to be. But Milly's mother is a serial killer. And blood is thicker than water. Good me, bad me. She is, after all, her mother's daughter...
***
Review: I've been in the mood for psychological thrillers lately and boy did this one get my reading year off to a good start. I'd noticed a bit of chatter surrounding this release - just out in January 2017 - and found the premise intriguing, so I snapped it up as soon as it came out.
The writing style is definitely unusual - written in the second person, and occasionally. A bit. Stilted. It took a little bit of getting used to, but it worked pretty well. The story is narrated by Milly, a troubled, traumatized young girl adjusting to life in foster care while preparing to face the aftermath of turning in her murderous mother. Although the novel is so well written as to completely absorb my attention (I read this book within 24 hours), I did occasionally pause to ponder Land's ability to so brilliantly portray the complexity of Milly's perspective.
I will say, I guessed the main twist fairly early on. Perhaps I was supposed to, but I didn't find this to be a 'shocking' or 'surprising' read, just a thoroughly immersive one. The ending for me was a bit rushed, a bit forced and generally a little hard to swallow, so that brought the book - which had been teetering on the edge of five stars - down to four. But otherwise - the plot, the characters, the writing - all made for a really great read.
Rating: 4/5
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