This is one of the most psychologically complex thrillers I have read recently. It’s so dark and intricate… told from multiple POVs, so you learn more and more secrets from each person as you go. You see where things got wrong, how you thought someone was okay, but they were evil, how one’s upbringing can bring about catastrophic consequences, etc. We follow the two boys who killed the little girl. The teacher who knows who they are. A girl in their class, the class president. One of the boys’ sister, etc.
From that one scene at the beginning, where the teacher tells the class the truth, everything devolves into madness. To watch the terrifying, slow-burn consequences was a really interesting psychological experience – to see how not only each boy killer reacts but also the whole class, not to mention certain parents. To say that I couldn’t put the book down would be putting it mildly. As I read, I felt like I lived in those people’s heads, and with every discovery, I became more and more shocked and angry at everyone in the book.
This story is a study in how a normal person can become a villain. It’s a study in how nobody is good or bad, we’re all painfully gray. It’s a study in how you might end up hurting those you love the most. It’s a slow descent into madness and darkness and anger and hatred and fear, but it’s presented and written in a way that flows fast and makes you addicted to turning the pages.
Not only was I amazed at every discovery – don’t assume you know anything about anyone until the end – but I was also delighted at the very end of the book, even though it was pure evil. You can’t want from a book like that to end happy or give you hope. You can just strap in and accept it’s going to end up in flames. I didn’t cry, but I imagine someone who’s had different life experiences than mine might have.
Triggers for this book are – death of a child, murder of a child, mommy issues, parental abandonment, sociopathy, mental break/illness, unaliving ideation, revenge plot.
If you like character-based slow-burn revenge stories with heavy psychological elements that goes fast, this is for you. I am truly amazed this is the author’s first book! For a person who loves studying people’s minds, especially in books, this was a real treat for me. Five very deserved stars.
-Reviewed by Violeta Nedkova
