I am not quite sure what I think about this book. It started off pretty well and the characters really drew me in. But after a few chapters I just got really REALLY mad at some of them and I got a bit fed up with the very slow pace of the plot.
The book begins with the police discovering two dead bodies, and then introduces Bill, a widowed father struggling to care for his young daughter Lucy. In order to make ends meet, he takes in a lodger, Karla. Karla is a student who wants to become a lawyer one day, and she works as a maid for a well-to-do couple in order to make enough money to pay her rent. The other main character we meet is Jennica, a young woman who works as a phone psychic at night and pretends to attend university during the day, and who has just begun a relationship with an intriguing older man.
As the story unfolded, I began to get really fed up with Bill, and found myself really not liking Jennica at all. The only characters I liked were Sally and Karla. And even then I feel like the author missed some opportunities to really allow the reader to feel a strong connection to Karla--some of her actions/decisions/motivations were a bit glossed over. The pacing of the book really lacked any suspense or urgency. Not all books have to be edge-of-your-seat thrillers, but there needs to be a feeling that something is going to happen that will have a big impact on the characters. And I found that missing in this book. The ending left me unsatisfied, as well.
I am not sure if I would recommend this book or not. It is definitely slow-moving and has several very unlikable characters.
The book begins with the police discovering two dead bodies, and then introduces Bill, a widowed father struggling to care for his young daughter Lucy. In order to make ends meet, he takes in a lodger, Karla. Karla is a student who wants to become a lawyer one day, and she works as a maid for a well-to-do couple in order to make enough money to pay her rent. The other main character we meet is Jennica, a young woman who works as a phone psychic at night and pretends to attend university during the day, and who has just begun a relationship with an intriguing older man.
As the story unfolded, I began to get really fed up with Bill, and found myself really not liking Jennica at all. The only characters I liked were Sally and Karla. And even then I feel like the author missed some opportunities to really allow the reader to feel a strong connection to Karla--some of her actions/decisions/motivations were a bit glossed over. The pacing of the book really lacked any suspense or urgency. Not all books have to be edge-of-your-seat thrillers, but there needs to be a feeling that something is going to happen that will have a big impact on the characters. And I found that missing in this book. The ending left me unsatisfied, as well.
I am not sure if I would recommend this book or not. It is definitely slow-moving and has several very unlikable characters.