3.5 Stars
After some
serious books, I thought I’d read a thriller.
This author has won several crime writing awards so I thought I’d give
him a try.
Agatha is a
part-time grocery shelf stocker. She is
pregnant, but her boyfriend Hayden is away at sea with the Royal Navy and is
ignoring her messages. Agatha has become obsessed with Meghan, a
woman who seems to have the perfect life:
a handsome husband, two beautiful children, a nice home, a group of
sophisticated friends. Meghan is also
pregnant so Agatha is able to use this shared experience to befriend her. This friendship ends up changing the lives of
both women because Agatha is planning to steal something from Meghan.
The book is
narrated by both Agatha and Meghan in alternating chapters so the reader
becomes privy to their thoughts and feelings.
It soon becomes clear that both women have secrets. Agatha does not like discussing her past and
Meghan has a secret which she is desperate to keep hidden. Agatha’s voyeurism is disturbing but then
Meghan’s life is not as glamourous as Agatha thinks.
There are
some plot elements that are a bit far-fetched, especially when it comes to men (Hayden,
Simon) having changes of heart at the end.
Agatha’s planning is also almost flawless; her psychological profile
suggests she has “a high degree of intelligence” but even with her meticulous
planning the wheel-along upright shopping trolley used for the crime would easily
catch police attention even if the colour is changed.
What
impressed me is the author’s ability to arouse sympathy for both women. I found myself wanting each woman to get
what she wants, though this is not possible.
Meghan does some stupid things but she doesn’t deserve what happens to
her. Agatha’s behaviour is definitely
criminal but I agree with the psychologist who describes her as “’a
victim. Something dreadful has happened
that prompted her into making some terrible decisions. . . . She has suffered
enormously, which is why we have to show her compassion and understanding.’”
There is a
message: be grateful for what you have
and don’t take the good things in your life for granted because “sometimes even
the most charmed existence can change in the blink of an eye, or turn on the
length of an eyelash. One moment of
indecision. A cancer cell. A rogue gene.
A wrong turn. A red light. A drunk driver. A cruel piece of misfortune.”
This is one
of the better psychological thrillers I’ve read in some time. Perhaps people with children should be warned
that this is an intense read which touches on a parent’s worst nightmare.
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