I wanted to love this - but it was strange
‘The Man Who Didn’t Call’ by Rosie Walsh (previously published as ‘Ghosted’).
The thing about this novel is that I really wanted to love it. The story was there, the intrigue was there. For the first chapter or so, everything looked good.
The further I got into the novel, though, the more I realised it’s characters were the issue.
The plot basically goes as follows: Sarah and Eddie have a week-long holiday romance, which Sarah believes is more than a fling. Eddie goes AWOL, and Sarah becomes obsessed, within about a day. Somewhere along the way, Eddie does too, but for different reasons - reasons we wait to find out for far too long.
The thing is though, Sarah’s actions (like following Eddie’s friends and blurting out her life story without any indication it’s wanted) could just about be excused as a little odd, but still non- stalkerish if she were 16. She’s not, she’s almost 40. Nothing about the character says ‘mature’ or ‘adult’. In fact, the desperate lengths she goes to to try and find Eddie, coupled with how she can’t think of anything but him, suggest to me that he should be wary of her.
There is a twist, and yes, it’s a shock - but at the point of the big reveal I realised that the plot had entered the realms of stupidity, if you want a realistic ending, you won’t find it here. Though I’ll concede it’s quite sweet.
To conclude, besides too much talk of grass and sheep, this book is well written and in that respect enjoyable. What lets it down though, is our very own (less amusing) Bridget Jones, whose obsessive actions I questioned so much that I was worried for her ‘Darcy’.
The subplots didn’t add much to the story, and one involving a best friend with fertility issues had an absolutely inevitable ending.
All in all, ‘The Man Who Didn’t call is worth a read, but don’t expect the drama/thriller of the year.
Rating: 3
The thing about this novel is that I really wanted to love it. The story was there, the intrigue was there. For the first chapter or so, everything looked good.
The further I got into the novel, though, the more I realised it’s characters were the issue.
The plot basically goes as follows: Sarah and Eddie have a week-long holiday romance, which Sarah believes is more than a fling. Eddie goes AWOL, and Sarah becomes obsessed, within about a day. Somewhere along the way, Eddie does too, but for different reasons - reasons we wait to find out for far too long.
The thing is though, Sarah’s actions (like following Eddie’s friends and blurting out her life story without any indication it’s wanted) could just about be excused as a little odd, but still non- stalkerish if she were 16. She’s not, she’s almost 40. Nothing about the character says ‘mature’ or ‘adult’. In fact, the desperate lengths she goes to to try and find Eddie, coupled with how she can’t think of anything but him, suggest to me that he should be wary of her.
There is a twist, and yes, it’s a shock - but at the point of the big reveal I realised that the plot had entered the realms of stupidity, if you want a realistic ending, you won’t find it here. Though I’ll concede it’s quite sweet.
To conclude, besides too much talk of grass and sheep, this book is well written and in that respect enjoyable. What lets it down though, is our very own (less amusing) Bridget Jones, whose obsessive actions I questioned so much that I was worried for her ‘Darcy’.
The subplots didn’t add much to the story, and one involving a best friend with fertility issues had an absolutely inevitable ending.
All in all, ‘The Man Who Didn’t call is worth a read, but don’t expect the drama/thriller of the year.
Rating: 3