This is a psychological thriller that, as I was reading it, brought to mind the twists and turns of other great books of the genre such as Shutter Island and Asylum. It is written in blog-style, so it is a very quick read, and doesn't have a lot of overly descriptive filler. I found most of the characters to be very authentic, with the exception of Nessie, the nurse with the fairly cliched Irish accent, and Dr. P----, who was a little too villainous feeling when he was introduced.
There were times while reading this that it almost felt too real, and I forgot that I was reading a work of fiction, which in the terms of the writing style and the fact that it is a first novel, are pretty high praise. I found the relationship between Parker and the patient, Joe, to be very fraught with tension and drama, and I really enjoyed being scared out of my wits all the way through to the end. I would recommend this book to most anyone, and especially to those who were fans of Alex Michalides' The Silent Patient. I personally thought this was a better read.
There were times while reading this that it almost felt too real, and I forgot that I was reading a work of fiction, which in the terms of the writing style and the fact that it is a first novel, are pretty high praise. I found the relationship between Parker and the patient, Joe, to be very fraught with tension and drama, and I really enjoyed being scared out of my wits all the way through to the end. I would recommend this book to most anyone, and especially to those who were fans of Alex Michalides' The Silent Patient. I personally thought this was a better read.