Into the Darkest Corner

by Elizabeth Haynes

"When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can't believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true. But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee's dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. ... Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape. Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine--now Cathy--is trying to build a new life in a new city. ... Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life. Until the day the phone rings"--Dust jacket.

• ISBN10: 0062197258
• ISBN13: 9780062197252
• Publish Date: 5 June 2012 (first published 14 February 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[ibeforem]

This book was a chilling portrait of an abusive relationship and its aftermath. When Catherine meets Lee, she effortlessly lets him in to her life. Sure, he doesn't talk much and his job is mysterious and sometimes he disappears for days at a time, but he's handsome and a good lover and all of her friends are jealous, so what's the harm, right?

But four years later, Cathy is a mess. Her life is filled with completing her obsessive rituals and panic attacks. She is constantly in fear, and trusts no one, even the seemingly nice man who moves in upstairs. Even as he tries to help her with her OCD, the trust is slow to develop. And then a phone call ruins everything.

What exactly happened to Catherine/Cathy is a story that is unfolded through the course of the novel. It bounces back and forth in time, giving us a complete picture of what she endured. 

I thought this was a really great read, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

[cornerfolds]

//I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway//

Originally read in 2012 and rated 5.0.

Into the Darkest Corner was a totally amazing, basically perfect thrill ride through the life of a woman with severe anxiety and OCD! I adored every single thing about this book! Catherine was a fantastic (if unreliable) main character and her issues were something I could honestly identify with as someone with anxiety also. The story is not truly horror, but the suspense kept me up late at night and (if we're being honest) jumping at shadows when I read in the dark. It isn't often that I read and love a contemporary thriller, but this one really surprised me! This one will remain on my shelf for a future re-read for sure!

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

Cathy’s relationship with Lee seems good to begin with, but as his true self starts to emerge, the more she is pushed into the darkest corner. This is a story of a very abusive relationship and the chilling effects it has on Catherine. Lee is controlling, abusive and thinks he is smart enough to get away with it; but can he?

Written in two parts, Into the Darkest Corner slowly unfolds the destructive relationship between Cathy and Lee. It also includes the story four years after, showing the damage done to Cathy which has left her isolated, suffering from OCD and post traumatic stress. The two different time periods are written in a slightly different format showing the chilling tale of a woman slowly slipping into her darkest corner, then showing her trying to recover from all the damage. The two different writing styles are what makes this book so haunting; it’s like watching a car crash, you can see Cathy’s happy and party-like attitude slowly dissolving.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s dark, chilling and very disturbing; it was sickening at times but still an exciting novel to read. I had real pleasure reading something so dark; not often do you find a book so disturbing and yet so enjoyable to read. While I think this book was really good, I couldn’t recommend it to anyone that might freak out or identify with Cathy too closely. This is not a light book and definitely not for overly emotional or the faint of heart. I was really impressed with Elizabeth Haynes’ debut novel Into the Darkest Corner and I can’t wait to read her next book.

Original review appeared on my blog;
http://literary-exploration.com/2012/05/20/book-review-into-the-darkest-corner/