In the small, affluent town of Fairview, Connecticut everything seems picture perfect.
Until one night when young Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. In the hours immediately after, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of the violent assault. But, in the weeks and months that follow, as she heals from her physical wounds, and with no factual recall of the attack, Jenny struggles with her raging emotional memory. Her father, Tom, becomes obsessed with his inability to find her attacker and seek justice while her mother, Charlotte, prefers to pretend this horrific event did not touch her perfect country club world.
As they seek help for their daughter, the fault lines within their marriage and their close-knit community emerge from the shadows where they have been hidden for years, and the relentless quest to find the monster who invaded their town – or perhaps lives among them – drive this psychological thriller to a shocking and unexpected conclusion.
Review
This is a hard book to read, mainly because of the subject matter. That being said, the story was completely engrossing. I could not stop reading. And when I did have to stop, because life does tend to get in the way, the story stayed with me. Jenny, Adam, Charlotte and Tom all suffer in different ways and create a gripping story which I will not soon forget.
The writing is very unusual and unique. There are areas the story jumps ahead and then backs up to meld the whole tale together. This novel is told by a narrator which is the psychiatrist. He seems a little detached, especially when he is describing Jenny’s attack. This helps the reader get through the emotional aspects of this harrowing scene. However, it is still a very tragic and haunting experience. And the perpetrator is a guess till the very end!
This tale is not for every one. It is not a happy read and has some grisly activity. It is however, a read which will stay with me for a very long time!
I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.
Purchase Here
I bet this stayed with you for a while, it would me too. I like the idea that this is told in such a unique way that makes it harder to dismiss it. I am especially appreciative of the idea that the psyche’s memory of an assault is not easily “wiped away”.
This is a unique read. Check it out…it is gruesome in places…just a warning
Pingback: Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker | reecaspieces