STORY SUMMARY
Aiden Thomas is a recently widowed, hardworking family man with one 13 year old daughter named Cecelia. He's a beloved person in his small town in upstate NY's Hudson Valley area. He's the type of guy who helps others and never has a bad word to say about anyone or to anyone. But...
Aiden has been keeping a very dark secret and no one in town knows what it is. He's a kidnapper of a young college girl and he's a serial killer. He has murdered 8 women and there's a ninth he has earmarked for death. He calls her Rachel and she is imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life. She's been there for 5 years.
Shortly after Aiden's wife dies of cancer, he has to move. His in-laws are kicking him out. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along. He introduces her to Cecelia as a "family friend" who needs a place to stay and keeps her chained up at night in a bedroom no one is allowed to enter.
Aiden is counting on Rachel being too brainwashed by him and too fearful of him to try and escape.
But...Rachel is a fighter. She's a survivor. She thinks that Cecelia might be the lifeline she needs and has been waiting for. Rachel begins to test the boundaries of her living situation...and she begins to form a connection with Cecelia.
Then Emily enters the picture. Emily is a local restaurant owner and head bartender where Aiden likes to go every Tuesday and Thursday after work. Emily develops a little crush on Aiden and she finds herself drawn into Rachel's and Cecelia's world....even coming dangerously close to discovering Aiden's secret.
And then a Christmas party happens and.......Rachel has a chance to escape.
Will she make it out?
MY THOUGHTS
This is one amazing look at the psychological impact of survivors and the women in Aiden's life.
The story is told in 3 different voices: Rachel ("the woman in the shed" and then "the woman in the house"); Emily; Cecelia. Interspersed between these chapters are short one page chapters told in the voice of the other victims (Woman Number One, Two, etc).
The writing is brilliant and fast paced. It reads partly like a thriller, partly like a romance, and partly like a psychological mystery. The one thing that bugged me (but I get it) is that we don't ever learn of Aiden's motives...or just exactly what happened to him to make him a serial killer....I wish there had been some profiling going on but the plot is so well done, that doesn't really matter to the story.
The main themes in this book are: trauma, survival, the dynamics of power, single parenthood, kidnapping, betrayal, social isolation, sexual assault, murder, stalking, torture both physical and mental. There's a sense of instability in the family (estranged grandparents) and a controlling father.
The character development is rich and the characters really jump out at you as though you could have a conversation with them. My heart went out to motherless Cecelia and her struggle with the loss of her mom. Aiden is a distant father emotionally but extremely controlling.
If you like fast paced thrillers, you'll love this book. It reads like a true crime book.
Note: due to some serious subject matter (see themes above) this could be triggering for some readers.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (due to mature content).
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
No comments:
Post a Comment