Slickly constructed, intelligent and surprisingly emotive lockdown psychological thriller.
56 Days is a slickly constructed, intelligent and surprisingly emotive psychological thriller set in Dublin at the start of the Covid-19 lockdown and just after confirmation of the first Irish case. Immersive storytelling at its best, the book opens with savvy Garda DI Leah Riordan and DS Karl Connolly being called to a well-heeled apartment complex where a fetid smell has revealed the presence of a two week old corpse. Roll back 56 days to what appears to be the inaugural meeting in a supermarket between two shy twenty-somethings, Oliver Kennedy and Ciara Wyse, both of whom are recent newcomers to Dublin, and the tentative romance that ensues. When the Taoiseach issue a wave of restrictions and lockdown becomes frighteningly real at 35 days earlier, Oliver suggests that Ciara move into his more spacious apartment and as two lone souls in Dublin it makes sense. Whilst Oliver clearly has a reason for wanting to be discreet and conduct their relationship in privacy it means that no one even knows they are a couple, let alone the actual identity of the female seen entering the apartment and mask wearing serves the additional purpose of disguise. The unprecedented levels of anxiety brought about by the pandemic and speed with which the world outside their bubble is changing adds another degree of strain to their cohabiting, especially given they both concede they know next to nothing about each other. As two pretty unassuming individuals for whom suddenly moving in together seems out of character, the reader is never quite sure how much of their paranoia is justified but it certainly gives an extra frisson of tension to proceedings.
Although I felt the story got off to a fairly slow start with the build-up to Oliver and Ciara’s relationship in the opening chapters, by halfway through it becomes very clear that something far darker is at play and tension ratchets up with the second half containing a slew of revelations. Just prior to halfway however I wasn’t at all sure that even Catherine Ryan Howard could pull this one off! The timeline and point of view changes multiple times throughout the novel with the most pertinent moments being recounted from first Ciara’s perspective then from Oliver’s, necessitating periods of repetition. Whilst seeing the same moment replayed from two different perspectives could have become monotonous, Ryan Howard does it so well, dropping in snippets of information that give the reader clues about the backgrounds of both characters and hinting at their motivations for entering into the relationship. When the timeline reaches 23 days ago the action reels right back out to 78 days earlier and a time before Oliver and Ciara’s original meeting. Whilst Oliver’s secret is revealed first and the book became a compulsive read from then on, Ciara’s eventual disclosure I found altogether more surprising with Catherine Ryan Howard’s plotting on top form and so many switchbacks that by the time the full truth was revealed I was dazed but definitely not confused. What surprised me about this novel is how involved with the two flawed main characters I became, so much so that despite the suboptimal start to their relationship and dishonesty I was vying for them to prevail as a couple and overcome these obstacles. This is a testament to the author’s stellar characterisation skills and how relatable both Oliver and Ciara - and their situation - felt.
Having read all of Catherine Ryan Howard’s novels I continue to be impressed with her originality and scope for pushing boundaries and her clear, crisp prose and timely moments of humour ensure her novels are always a highlight. 56 Days is an well-executed, absorbing story and sets the bar high as the definitive lockdown thriller.
Although I felt the story got off to a fairly slow start with the build-up to Oliver and Ciara’s relationship in the opening chapters, by halfway through it becomes very clear that something far darker is at play and tension ratchets up with the second half containing a slew of revelations. Just prior to halfway however I wasn’t at all sure that even Catherine Ryan Howard could pull this one off! The timeline and point of view changes multiple times throughout the novel with the most pertinent moments being recounted from first Ciara’s perspective then from Oliver’s, necessitating periods of repetition. Whilst seeing the same moment replayed from two different perspectives could have become monotonous, Ryan Howard does it so well, dropping in snippets of information that give the reader clues about the backgrounds of both characters and hinting at their motivations for entering into the relationship. When the timeline reaches 23 days ago the action reels right back out to 78 days earlier and a time before Oliver and Ciara’s original meeting. Whilst Oliver’s secret is revealed first and the book became a compulsive read from then on, Ciara’s eventual disclosure I found altogether more surprising with Catherine Ryan Howard’s plotting on top form and so many switchbacks that by the time the full truth was revealed I was dazed but definitely not confused. What surprised me about this novel is how involved with the two flawed main characters I became, so much so that despite the suboptimal start to their relationship and dishonesty I was vying for them to prevail as a couple and overcome these obstacles. This is a testament to the author’s stellar characterisation skills and how relatable both Oliver and Ciara - and their situation - felt.
Having read all of Catherine Ryan Howard’s novels I continue to be impressed with her originality and scope for pushing boundaries and her clear, crisp prose and timely moments of humour ensure her novels are always a highlight. 56 Days is an well-executed, absorbing story and sets the bar high as the definitive lockdown thriller.