I felt immediately engaged with this psychological thriller and the relentless, well-executed build-up of tension meant that, once started, I could hardly bear to put it down. The individual backgrounds of each of the residents were gradually exposed, revealing a group of dysfunctional characters for Anna to become increasingly suspicious of. I felt sympathetic to her as a character and so found it very easy to become caught up in her fear, desperation and paranoia as she felt increasingly threatened and fearful. I was impressed by the way in which the author developed her main character, demonstrating very impressively the struggles she was experiencing between her feelings of guilt, her feeling that she deserved punishment for having escaped serious injury in the accident, her inability to accurately assess which of the residents was wanting to harm her and yet her desire to move forward with her life. Equally well-captured were the descriptions of the Scottish island scenery, the frightening power of the storm, and the insidious build-up of paranoia within a group of strangers when they are unable to escape one another.
However, the greatest strength of the novel for me came from the psychological credibility which under-pinned the story as the author explored the devastating effects a lack of sleep can have on the mental health of individuals, the wide range of different ways in which people deal with death, grief and mourning, and how unresolved anger and resentment can skew people’s decision-making as they try to come to terms with loss and sudden death. She very effectively captured the tendency we all have to judge people on a combination of appearances and our initial impressions of them, and then the struggle to let go of our prejudices, even when presented with evidence which challenges them! As a result of her keen observations, she evocatively conjured up the increasing tension within the group as they all struggled with being trapped in such a fraught situation, and as they alternated between suspecting others and being the one under suspicion. Although, with the exception of just a couple of last-minute twists, there were no great surprises in the plotting, this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story and I’d happily try another of this author’s novels.
However, the greatest strength of the novel for me came from the psychological credibility which under-pinned the story as the author explored the devastating effects a lack of sleep can have on the mental health of individuals, the wide range of different ways in which people deal with death, grief and mourning, and how unresolved anger and resentment can skew people’s decision-making as they try to come to terms with loss and sudden death. She very effectively captured the tendency we all have to judge people on a combination of appearances and our initial impressions of them, and then the struggle to let go of our prejudices, even when presented with evidence which challenges them! As a result of her keen observations, she evocatively conjured up the increasing tension within the group as they all struggled with being trapped in such a fraught situation, and as they alternated between suspecting others and being the one under suspicion. Although, with the exception of just a couple of last-minute twists, there were no great surprises in the plotting, this didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of the story and I’d happily try another of this author’s novels.