I love Lisa Jewell, and while I enjoyed this book, it’s fair to say I have a complicated relationship with it. There were some things I really loved about, but there were also some things I questioned. And there were other things that I wished had been more a part of the story.
The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Saffyre, Owen, and Cate. Saffyre and Owen are alike in a lot of ways, both very complex, lonely, tormented characters, both outcasts in different ways. Cate lives a very different life from both of them, but her story, too, is emotional, and lonely, in its own way. Their stories weave together in a twisty and engrossing way, creating a book that is incredibly thought-provoking. There are a lot of triggering moments (abuse, infidelity, rape, sexual assault, gaslighting), but none overly graphic. It is definitely a story that sticks with you long after you’ve read the last page.
The character development was, for the most part, excellent. The author was successful at painting Owen as a predator. However, there were aspects of his story that I wish had been a bigger part of it, especially since it was something mentioned in the book’s blurb, the connection to the incel community. I think more of that, while a reprehensible community, could have added another layer to the story. And Saffyre… she, too, was one with whom I had a complicated relationship. She was tragic to be sure, but she was also a bit on the creepy side, which often made her a little on the unlikable side.
While I liked the actual whodunit portion of the conclusion, there was, at least for me, a feeling that the entire thing wrapped up a little too easily, that the connections made were a bit too convenient, that everyone moved on to happier things a little too quickly. There were some moments in there that I had a hard time suspending belief for. But despite this, I did enjoy the book. It was a bit of a slow burn at first, but there came a point at which I couldn’t put the book down. It was just so twisty, and I NEEDED TO KNOW!