Starting in media res, a couple is found dead in their home. The story then wrenches us to a point where a desperate man must take in an even more desperate girl. Bill needs money to take care of the bills and keep rearing his little girl in a stable environment; Karla needs a place to stay where she can study in peace. Jennica is starting to date a man…who may be married.
The double murder should provide a sense of nervousness but it’s Lena at the cleaning company who gives us a clue that something isn’t quite right. Her eyes are shifty, her mood evasive when she offers the cleaning opportunity to a young student. Still, when money is on the line, vague unease is usually pushed to the back of our minds.
The prose is spare, without much in the way of romance or ostentation. This keeps us hyper-focused on the people and their needs, wants and desires. The opening chapters gives us a glimpse into three main civilian characters as they try to negotiate modern life. Jennica is searching for love using a dating app she’s not entirely certain will work. Bill is keenly worried about his daughter (and possibly suffering from undiagnosed PTSD after the untimely death of his wife). Karla has had her first encounter with the lady of the house, a sickly woman who apparently doesn’t leave her bed.
It’s a domestic life, the kind that makes the neighbors state that such things just don’t happen HERE. So let’s see how and why it does happen.
The double murder should provide a sense of nervousness but it’s Lena at the cleaning company who gives us a clue that something isn’t quite right. Her eyes are shifty, her mood evasive when she offers the cleaning opportunity to a young student. Still, when money is on the line, vague unease is usually pushed to the back of our minds.
The prose is spare, without much in the way of romance or ostentation. This keeps us hyper-focused on the people and their needs, wants and desires. The opening chapters gives us a glimpse into three main civilian characters as they try to negotiate modern life. Jennica is searching for love using a dating app she’s not entirely certain will work. Bill is keenly worried about his daughter (and possibly suffering from undiagnosed PTSD after the untimely death of his wife). Karla has had her first encounter with the lady of the house, a sickly woman who apparently doesn’t leave her bed.
It’s a domestic life, the kind that makes the neighbors state that such things just don’t happen HERE. So let’s see how and why it does happen.