★★★★
SYNOPSIS:
She's watching over them. And he's watching her...
Ria Taylor is everything to everyone. Wife and mother, the centre of her family. And the manager of a refuge for women whose partners have driven them out of their own homes.
But one night, with her husband away, Ria receives a terrifyingly sinister message. Someone is watching her. Someone who seems to know everything about her. She knows what she should do - seek help, just like she tells her clients to. But Ria is the help. As events escalate, and terror takes hold, Ria must decide whether to run or hide...
(Taken from Goodreads)
MY THOUGHTS:
To sum up, this book was not what I was expecting. I was anticipating another 'typical' thriller, which is my preferred genre, however, this book went deeper by looking at the complicated relationships between those involved in domestic violence. Although the themes underlining this novel were heart-rendering and painful at times to read, the book was gripping, informative and fast-paced.
Ria is the manager of a women's refuge centre supporting women and their children who are in abusive relationships and helping them find a safe place to live. From the very start of the novel it gives you a harrowing insight into domestic violence: you meet the women who are affected by this crime, the perpetrators, discover the complexities of the abuse and are given statistics about how many women are affected and killed by their partners. All in all not an easy read due to the subject matter but definitely a book worth reading. Not only did the novel contain the theme of domestic violence, Ria was also suffering from threatening texts by her own stalker. This section in the book, although unsettling was more in keeping with your typical thriller genre and made it an intriguing, fast paced read. As the story continued disturbing diary extracts from Tanya were introduced which added to the tension and pace. The novel weaves from present day to the past with alternating chapters from different characters view points, which I loved. I found Ria to be a bit needy and I got frustrated with her at times. The book was very well written with realistic characters and the themes portrayed in a profound, informative and sensitive manner. I applaud Ward for writing about domestic violence, for explaining all the different types of abuse, the complexities that may occur, for highlighting some of the warning signs and in making us, the reader, more aware of this complicated and harrowing crime. In addition, at the back of the book is a list of helplines and support network contact details. Thank you to Netgalley and Atlantic Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book before publication and to the author Jacqueline Ward for such an insightful and thought-provoking novel.
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