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Sunday 23 March 2014

Her by Harriet Lane

Her
by Harriet Lane


I think it's just coincidence that I chose to read two very sinister books one after the other. First there was The Night Guest, and now this, 'Her'. Harriet Lane's first novel, 'Alys, Always' was given very good reviews. I haven't read it, but with review words such as "thriller", "chilling", "surprises", "dramatic", "Ruth Rendell", "tragedy", "mysterious", "suspense", and "psychodrama", I can imagine that it is in the same vein as this, her second novel. I could use all the same nouns and adjectives to describe the story. Think "Single White Female" crossed with "Fatal Attraction" and even though the premise is different, the feelings you get while reading the book aren't.


The one thing about the book which annoyed me, was that you were told a scene from the viewpoint of the one main character, Nina, and then told the same scene from the viewpoint of the other, Emma. So I found myself skimming through a few paragraphs to reach unknown territory. Other than that, if you like to be made feel uncomfortable and on edge at the end of a reading session, then this is for you. Watch out who you let into your life.