Everyone in town is talking about it!

George March’s latest bestselling novel.

Mrs. March stops at her favorite bakery to pick up some black olive bread and macarons when the cashier, Patricia, tells her she has been reading her husband’s book. She tells her she can’t put it down. And then asks her if its the first time he has based a character on her.

Mrs. March is caught off guard. “What do you mean?” she asks. Patricia informs her how alike they are, the way they speak, dress, her mannerisms. Although she hasn’t read the novel, Mrs. March knows the character is a prostitute, everything she would never want to be. Could her husband have done this? How dare he!

Mrs. March runs out, abandoning her bags, despondent.

Her descent begins, a slippery slope, a haunting journey. You realize early on that something is off kilter, things don’t add up. I felt trapped inside Mrs. March’s head even though its written in third person.

I loved the surreal tone, vivid descriptions, mystery, touch of horror/gloom that builds until the disturbing last twist.

This is different and probably not for everyone. It may make you feel a bit uncomfortable, I felt a bit numb when finishing. It was an impressive debut and the writing is stunning, psychologically complex with all the bread crumbs if you pay attention.

Library loan/ Read in August 2021