OTHER PEOPLE'S LIVES by J.E ROWNEY.
Genre ... Psychological thriller
Publication Date ... 22nd April 2022
Standalone Novel
Order Link ... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Peoples-Lives-J-Rowney-ebook/dp/B09GK9T7FZ/
Trust nobody.
“Let me ask you. Are you worried that someone is watching you, or are you worried that you think someone is watching you?”
Sophie Portman has lost her husband, and she thinks she may be losing her mind.
She seeks the help of psychiatrist Andrew Thacker, but as she starts to open up, the truth begins to unravel and nothing is quite as it seems.
Other People's Lives is a gripping psychological thriller from bestselling author JE Rowney. ... Synopsis
Dear Jack,
It's been six months, and I know you may never read my letters. ... First Sentence, Chapter One
I could feel her shalow, rapid breaths against my face. She pulled back, trying to move away from me, but there was nowhere for her to go. The armchair wouldn't allow her any space, and I wasn't going to move. ... Memorable Moment, Page 172
The chapters for the main part alternating between psychiatrist Dr Thackery's office where we are privy to his sessions with Sophie and, to a lesser, extent, Jonah along with letters written by Sophie to her husband who 'disappeared' some months previously and the occasional insight into Dr Thackery's romantic entanglement with Serena. I sat and read and sat and read, waiting for something of anything of any real consequence to happen.
You could be forgiven for thinking it all sounds a bit dull but you'd be wrong.
Written in such a clever way {though it wasn't until having read the book and thought back on it that I appreciated just how cleverly}, there was no getting away from it, the intrigue and suspense had me hooked.
That the twist at the end was one of the many that I had considered {and, if I'm honest, didn't real come as that huge a surprise}, well, that didn't really matter as for me the joy in Other People's Lives was the skilful play on words, the unreliable narrators, the way in which I found myself sucked in, desperately wanting to get to the truth, the author having led us to believe one thing when in fact ...
But what about the characters? I hear you ask.
Wellll,
As you'd expect, brilliantly written; the author relying on what you know of them {or at least what your led to believe you know about them} and your perceptions of them {Dr Thackery as a psychiatrist, Sophie as a woman who has lost her husband and suspects someone is following her} to lead you down one path when in fact ...
Not so much a roller-coaster of a ride as something of a topsy-turvy ride, the twist if not exactly easily deciphered as easier to decipher if you ...
Listen carefully.
Watch closely.
Trust nobody.
And even then you may well find yourself shaking your head and wondering just what happened.
She has written ten novels, and also enjoys writing short stories. In 2020 she was the winner of the Pen to Print Short Story award, the Dinesh Allirajah Prize for Short Fiction, and, in 2021, the Fresher Publishing Student Writing Award.
She spends lots of time writing in coffee shops, so if you see her, say hello.
Ms. Rowney says: "I always dreamed of being a writer, until I realised that I was. Then I started to write."
You can find out more about JE Rowney on her website at jerowney.com (where you can download a free book!), or follow @jerowneywriter on social media.
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This sounds like my kind of book.
ReplyDeleteI must admit that the author's name reminds me very much of another author's quite similar name! :D
Your review makes this sound quite intriguing! It might have to go on my wishlist (or see if it's at my digital library).
ReplyDeleteFelicity,
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a very compelling
book with truly memorable characters.
I will definitely keep it in mind.
And thank you for your excellent review.
Raven
Fantastic review. I love a unreliable narrator!
ReplyDeleteSo glad the suspense held you captive. So important for a story such as this!
ReplyDeleteI think I would like this one. I like the way you described it as topsy-turvy as opposed to a rollercoaster ride.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this one has already been archived on NetGalley, or I would have had my request in for a copy!
ReplyDeleteThis kind of deep, psychological thriller, is one of my favourite genres. Sometimes 'less is definitely more' in the action stakes, and a good bit of thinking about a plot makes a refreshing change.
Thanks for the excellent feature and analysis! :)