I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. It was a real rollercoaster and I hadn’t read anything about the book before starting, didn’t even know it was a “thriller”. I think this might be the first >!psychological thriller!< that I’ve read. It’s one of my favorite genre of movies but I’d never read anything in this area, apart from maybe Crime & Punishment? If that fits.
If I’m being honest it was pretty torturous at times, I was really considering putting it down towards the end of Part 2. >!Every minute spent inhabiting Josie’s head felt wretched, like really claustrophobic. Kudos to the author, because I really felt trapped in a way by Josie, like everyone else in the story (supposedly). Very well executed by the author. That said, it was far from pleasant, but I had gathered pretty early on that this wasn’t meant to be a pleasant story.!<
>!As the ending unravelled, the release of tension was a welcome relief. It was pretty clear how things were going to end. I remember thinking oh thank god she killed him (Nathan), I don’t want to hear the first hand account of his kidnapping. !<
>!I didn’t really like the whole “Josie is evil and everyone around her is living in a nightmare of her hatred, envy and manipulation”, it seemed really convenient for everybody around her that she was a ready-made scapegoat for all their personal short-comings. For example, it didn’t sit right with me that !<
* >!Josie’s mom claimed that Josie (at 14) had seduced 45yo Walter away from her.!<
* >!Walter, who cheated on his wife with Josie’s mom and then slept with Josie, was actually a really great dad and only left his girlfriend (Josie’s mom) and entire previous family because of how manipulative Josie was!<
>!So I almost preferred Josie’s fucked up version to the version revealed in Part 3. It made sense to me that yeah she’s messed up, she’s only ever had messed up relationships. It started with her mother and Walter, and continued with her kids. It doesn’t excuse her character, but it does explain it. The very end of the book opens the door to some interpretation of the truth between the one proposed by Josie and the one revealed by everybody else in Part 3.!<
>!My theory on the ‘true’ version of events (omitting maybe/probably/perhaps/I-think qualifiers)!<
* >!Josie’s mom didn’t love her, neglected her, resented her. Josie correctly didn’t want her kids to have anything to do with her.!<
* >!Walter is a pedophile, he did groom Josie and abused Roxy (though there is no hint of this, I think it may explain her violent tendencies), Brooke and Erin!<
* >!Walter did sit with Erin while she played games, that part can’t be a lie since there would be recordings, but it doesn’t discount the possibility of him abusing her as a child.!<
* >!Roxy killed Brooke, because Walter had molested her and Roxy blamed Brooke. !<
* >!Josie and Walter covered it up and hid Roxy’s body. Erin lied about who killed Brooke because Roxy was back, it was Brooke arguing with Roxy not with Josie.!<
* >!Erin on her own now and is scared of Roxy because Erin knows how violent she can be because she did actually break her arm on purpose and killed Roxy in front of her, this is why she doesn’t leave her room!<
* >!Roxy ran away because she murdered Brooke and also to escape an abusive household!<
* >!Nathan isn’t a great guy, Alix has a blind spot for (or attraction to) unstable people. He stays out all night because he doesn’t want to be home with his family. Alix avoids the issue because she’s afraid of unpacking the reasons behind that. She says herself that when faced with conflict, that she becomes detached and calculating. She thinks if she gives him an ultimatum, he will fuck it up and it will end their marriage and prefers a broken marriage to no marriage.!<
* >!Josie intended to kill Walter from the start of the book, that part is pretty spelled out. It happened close to how Roxy described it. !<
* >!Josie’s family are all liars and gas-lighters. It’s how she was treated/groomed by Walter and how she and Walter raised their kids. It’s how this family communicates. Erin may be the only exception, but I do think she lied about how Brooke died to save her own skin.!<
>!As I read this list, it looks like I mostly take Josie’s side of events as the truth for the main beats, minus some of her twists and omissions, like the manner of Walter’s death, what happened with Erin, Roxy, Brooke.!<
All in all, I’m really impressed with how rich Josie’s character is.
by HearAPianoFall