If creepy psychological mindfuck is your thing, this is your book!
I have been counting down the days to get this piece of literary gold into my hands. After reading Hendricks’ and Pekkanen’s The Wife Between Us, I knew I absolutely *needed* An Anonymous Girl. I am so delighted to report that this story met and exceeded my expectations.
What it’s about: Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt? But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about? As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly. Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime? From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.
I felt like I could relate on a personal level to Jess. She’s 28 years old, works hard, but worries about financial security. I mean… I think most 20-somethings these days can relate. When an opportunity presents itself, Jess jumps on it. An easy $500 to answer a few questions. Honestly, when I was in college, I was constantly looking for studies that would pay. I never got more than $20 and every study was ethical though. However, Jess quickly learns this “study” requires more than she thought. It goes way too far.
A big part of the story is about assumptions the characters make. The authors are extraordinarily successful in conveying such assumptions, because I guarantee you have already made at least one assumption about this story without even realizing it. After reading the summary, I read the first 50 or so pages, and realized I had made a pretty big assumption that completely changed how I viewed the story. If you’ve read this book, let me know if you made that same assumption.
I loved how the story was told. Though it was almost 400 pages, I was able to read it very quickly and didn’t feel like I needed to skip any paragraphs. The chapters alternate between Jess’ perspective and Dr. Shields’ perspective.
The chapters narrated by Dr. Shields were particularly interesting. They are written in the same way a psychiatrist might write their notes from a session with a client. Example (not from the book), You walk to the kitchen. “Go ahead and pick up the glass of wine,” you are told. At first, I thought that tone would get mundane after awhile and it would be hard to feel any sympathy toward such a cold character. Wrong. Though Dr. Shields’ narrative seemed calculated and clinical, I ended up feeling sorry for the character by the end of the story.
Many reviews have noted that the ending was predictable. I beg to differ. I guess it depends on how you define the “ending.” I would define it as the epilogue or the last 10 or so pages. The “big twist” may have been slightly predictable, but it was revealed before the epilogue. The epilogue itself wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. It tied together all the loose ends and established the answer to question #3 in the summary. There was a sense of justice for one of the characters.
My only critique was wanting more from the character Becky, Jess’ younger sister. I also wish Jess had come to the same conclusion about locking someone out/locking someone in that Dr. Shields noted.
But overall, this was such a great story and would make for excellent discussion for a book club. Well done, Hendricks and Pekkanen.
I have been counting down the days to get this piece of literary gold into my hands. After reading Hendricks’ and Pekkanen’s The Wife Between Us, I knew I absolutely *needed* An Anonymous Girl. I am so delighted to report that this story met and exceeded my expectations.
What it’s about: Seeking women ages 18–32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed. When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. Question #1: Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt? But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. Question #2: Have you ever deeply hurt someone you care about? As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly. Question #3: Should a punishment always fit the crime? From the authors of the blockbuster bestseller The Wife Between Us comes an electrifying new novel about doubt, passion, and just how much you can trust someone.
I felt like I could relate on a personal level to Jess. She’s 28 years old, works hard, but worries about financial security. I mean… I think most 20-somethings these days can relate. When an opportunity presents itself, Jess jumps on it. An easy $500 to answer a few questions. Honestly, when I was in college, I was constantly looking for studies that would pay. I never got more than $20 and every study was ethical though. However, Jess quickly learns this “study” requires more than she thought. It goes way too far.
A big part of the story is about assumptions the characters make. The authors are extraordinarily successful in conveying such assumptions, because I guarantee you have already made at least one assumption about this story without even realizing it. After reading the summary, I read the first 50 or so pages, and realized I had made a pretty big assumption that completely changed how I viewed the story. If you’ve read this book, let me know if you made that same assumption.
I loved how the story was told. Though it was almost 400 pages, I was able to read it very quickly and didn’t feel like I needed to skip any paragraphs. The chapters alternate between Jess’ perspective and Dr. Shields’ perspective.
The chapters narrated by Dr. Shields were particularly interesting. They are written in the same way a psychiatrist might write their notes from a session with a client. Example (not from the book), You walk to the kitchen. “Go ahead and pick up the glass of wine,” you are told. At first, I thought that tone would get mundane after awhile and it would be hard to feel any sympathy toward such a cold character. Wrong. Though Dr. Shields’ narrative seemed calculated and clinical, I ended up feeling sorry for the character by the end of the story.
Many reviews have noted that the ending was predictable. I beg to differ. I guess it depends on how you define the “ending.” I would define it as the epilogue or the last 10 or so pages. The “big twist” may have been slightly predictable, but it was revealed before the epilogue. The epilogue itself wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. It tied together all the loose ends and established the answer to question #3 in the summary. There was a sense of justice for one of the characters.
My only critique was wanting more from the character Becky, Jess’ younger sister. I also wish Jess had come to the same conclusion about locking someone out/locking someone in that Dr. Shields noted.
But overall, this was such a great story and would make for excellent discussion for a book club. Well done, Hendricks and Pekkanen.