Something bad has happened to Alison Taylor.
Her Saturday night started normally. Recently separated from her husband, Ali has been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a new man. She is ready, she is nervous, she is excited. She is about to take a step into her new future.
By Sunday morning, Ali’s life is unrecognisable. She wakes, and she knows that something is wrong. She is home, she is alone, she is hurt and she has no memory of what happened to her.
Worse still, when she looks in the mirror, Ali doesn’t recognise the face staring back at her. She can’t recognise her friends and family. And she can’t recognise the person who is trying to destroy her…
The Review
THE DATE by Louise Jensen.
I recently read THE DATE for a blog post I did about Prosopagnosia
I thought this one was super anxiety-inducing and emotional. The beginning was where it shined. It was uncomplicated and had a direct focus which felt like a stylistic choice and a unique approach until the second half of the novel came and disparaged that.
I ended up feeling middle of the road about this one. I felt it was good for beginners to the thriller genre but experienced readers will find the complicated follow through unnecessary.
It did a great job of explaining Prosopagnosia and I was grateful for that.
Overall, I thought it was ok.
THE DATE…
Recently I read a trio of books all having to do with Prosopagnosia or Face-Blindness. I first came across the subject in the book ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS by Alice Feeney in which one of her characters suffers from the uncommon disorder.
Prosopagnosia is when our ability to recognize familiar faces is impaired. Can you imagine this?
If you read any of the three books I’m talking about today you might get a better understanding of the disorder. Its explored in detail in THE DATE by Louise Jensen, it’s touched upon in ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS, and it’s explored in the most unique way in THE RESTING PLACE.
Let’s go through each book and I’ll highlight where each of them is strong and where they are weak. I’ll also explore how they are the same and how they are different and help you determine which one might be for you and suit your particular reading tastes.
The Break
down
I’m starting with THE DATE by Louise Jensen because it is the book that explores the full extent of the disorder. We follow Ali, a character from the beginning of the onset of the disorder and the storyline follows as complications from the disorder are explored.
It is riveting, anxiety-inducing, and very uncomplicated, at least, in the beginning. I recommend this book to those who might be new to the thriller genre. There are two povs, but they are executed well, making the story incredibly easy to follow. You know exactly what the focus is and who the chess pieces are.
Both the material and the writing lead me to describe this book as a trauma thriller. The character’s trauma is as much a part of the story as the plot. Making it emotionally triggering and the basis for your enjoyment of the book.
In other words, if you don’t like living and experiencing what’s going on in someone’s head then you probably will not enjoy this one that much.
At about halfway through I started to get bored with the story. Then at some point, it takes a turn, and starts to get overly complicated in an effort to make it more twisty and exciting.
Where this book is strong is in its explaining of the condition and its weak in summing everything up nicely. The second half of the book felt like a chore to read compared to the first half which led to my average star rating.
I gave this one 3 Stars!
In ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS by Alice Feeney, we follow Mr. and Mrs. Wright. A couple who are taking a weekend away in Scotland. The setting is cold and unforgiving and it greatly leads to my enjoyment of the book.
Adam, Mr. Wright, is the one who suffers from Prosopagnosia. In this case, he has had it his entire life. He is a screenwriter and as you read in the synopsis a self-confessed workaholic.
Amelia, also known as Mrs. Wright is a key part of the story and as much a character as Mr. Wright.
The way Prosopagnosia is used in this book is to inhibit the character, making him prey at times to those around him. A lot of the plot surrounds secrets and the unraveling of them and the focus isn’t solely on Adam’s condition. He’s had it his whole life, presumably, they’ve adapted to it. It does play a part but is not as significant as in THE DATE.
When I read this my anxiety level was pretty low considering the situations Adam was in. Some of the book made it feel like an isolated mystery which made it atmospheric and enjoyable.
I think where the book suffered is in the explanation of Prosopagnosia and I think a lot of readers found this a little hard to believe actually exists. Where it excelled was definitely in it’s setting and in its structure.
I recommend this book to a wide variety of readers. Seasoned thriller readers will enjoy the interesting set-up and I think people who do not normally read thrillers might be interested in the dynamics between the couple and how secrets are explored.
I gave this one 4 Stars!
THE RESTING PLACE by Camilla Sten is a translated work. In The Resting Place we follow Eleanor who has prosopagnosia. When the book opens we meet Eleanor and she seems to be in a precarious situation. Then we learn of her condition and exactly how much danger she might actually be in.
The anxiety is high and it is very atmospheric. There is also a whole haunted house vibe running through the entire story which I think would appeal to readers of both suspense and horror. I love how the intersection between the two work in this book and it’s very reminiscent of Camilla Sten’s prior novel, THE LOST VILLAGE.
If you read that one and enjoyed the storytelling feel, and the almost vintage quality it has, then I think you’ll enjoy this one.
Where this one is strong is in its rich details, ominous setting, and in the anxiety you feel as the story unfolds. It does the best job of exploring the other senses that may become more focused if some abilities, like facial recognition are not available.
It made the character seem almost super-hero-esque and made me want to see all the ways her condition would be highlighted both as a weakness and as a strength.
Where the book might be weak is in the level of excitement. The story kind of hums along. There are curves and twists but really they are more reveals. Its a suspense and not a thriller, and it’s more that you’re gathering information as the story unfolds rather than being persuaded of something. Which for me makes it feel like a story being retold and I liked that aspect. But it won’t appeal to every reader.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to read her next novel.
I gave this one 4 Stars!
What do you think about this subject?
Do any of these titles sound interesting to you?
Something bad has happened to Alison Taylor.
Her Saturday night started normally. Recently separated from her husband, Ali has been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a new man. She is ready, she is nervous, she is excited. She is about to take a step into her new future.
By Sunday morning, Ali’s life is unrecognisable. She wakes, and she knows that something is wrong. She is home, she is alone, she is hurt and she has no memory of what happened to her.
Worse still, when she looks in the mirror, Ali doesn’t recognise the face staring back at her. She can’t recognise her friends and family. And she can’t recognise the person who is trying to destroy her…
Think you know the person you married? Think again…
Things have been wrong with Mr and Mrs Wright for a long time. When Adam and Amelia win a weekend away to Scotland, it might be just what their marriage needs. Self-confessed workaholic and screenwriter Adam Wright has lived with face blindness his whole life. He can’t recognize friends or family, or even his own wife.
Every anniversary the couple exchange traditional gifts – paper, cotton, pottery, tin – and each year Adam’s wife writes him a letter that she never lets him read. Until now. They both know this weekend will make or break their marriage, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after.
Ten years of marriage. Ten years of secrets. And an anniversary they will never forget.
Rock Paper Scissors is the latest exciting domestic thriller from the queen of the killer twist, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney.
A spine-chilling, propulsive psychological suspense from international sensation Camilla Sten.
The medical term is prosopagnosia. The average person calls it face blindness—the inability to recognize a familiar person’s face, even the faces of those closest to you.
When Eleanor walked in on the scene of her capriciously cruel grandmother, Vivianne’s, murder, she came face to face with the killer—a maddening expression that means nothing to someone like her. With each passing day, her anxiety mounts. The dark feelings of having brushed by a killer, yet not know who could do this—or if they’d be back—overtakes both her dreams and her waking moments, thwarting her perception of reality.
Then a lawyer calls. Vivianne has left her a house—a looming estate tucked away in the Swedish woods. The place her grandfather died, suddenly. A place that has housed a dark past for over fifty years.
Eleanor. Her steadfast boyfriend, Sebastian. Her reckless aunt, Veronika. The lawyer. All will go to this house of secrets, looking for answers. But as they get closer to bringing the truth to light, they’ll wish they had never come to disturb what rests there.
A heart-thumping, relentless thriller that will shake you to your core, The Resting Place is an unforgettable novel of horror and suspense.
Three couples. Two bodies. One secret.
Dark Fell Barn is a “perfectly isolated” retreat, or so says its website when Jayne books a reservation for her friends. A quiet place, far removed from the rest of the world, is exactly what they need.
The women arrive for a girls’ night ahead of their husbands. There’s ex-Army Jayne, hardened and serious, but also damaged. Ruth, the driven doctor and new mother who is battling demons of her own. Young Emily, just wed and insecure, the newest addition of this tight-knit band. Missing this year is Edie, who was the glue holding them together until her husband died suddenly.
But what they hoped would be a relaxing break soon turns to horror. Upon arrival at Dark Fell Barn, the women find a devastating note claiming one of their husbands will be murdered. There are no phones, no cell service to check on their men. Friendships fracture as the situation spins wildly out of control. Betrayal can come in many forms.
This group has kept each other’s secrets for far too long.
The Review
THE LONG WEEKEND
Gilly Macmillan
The characters started out confusing and ended that way. There are four couples that you are made to keep track of during the book and as much as the author may have tried they had no distinguishing characteristics.
The book greatly suffered from a lack of depth and diversity.
One wife felt like the next. Each husband a carbon copy of the other.
The storyline was not built to be scrutinized it was meant to be glossed over and the entertainment value was in the implausible-ness of it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Unnecessarily confusing and I’d say pass on this one.
Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for this advanced copy!
