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| Orenda Books 15 June 2017 |
What's it all about...
Bo Luxton has it all—a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name. Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend. When they meet at a writers’ retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops. Or does it? Breathlessly pacey, taut and terrifying, Exquisite is a startlingly original and unbalancing psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page.
What did I think about it...
From the start of the novel, and
a very clever prologue, we are taken very securely by the hand as this talented
writer leads us on a journey which becomes increasingly darker and more
menacing as the story, and the journey, progresses.
Bo Luxton appears to be
everyone's dream author, with a series of highly successful novels and the
ability to encourage other aspiring authors at her writers' workshops. When she
spots raw talent in Alice Dark, a young writer with heaps of potential, a
disturbing and sinister relationship starts to develop between them. Both women
are complete opposites, one with a successful writing career and a wonderful
lifestyle, whilst the other seems to lurch from one calamity to another, and
yet, the spark of attraction which exists between them is gloriously addictive,
and is perhaps one of the most disturbing things I’ve read in ages.
Cleverly told, in alternate
chapters and from Bo and Alice’s perspective, Exquisite is one of those stories which you are unable to leave
alone. It follows you, insidiously, from room to room, so that in any spare
minute you find that you pick up the story to delve deeper into the mystery of
Bo and Alice’s chilling association. Throughout the story there is an
overwhelming need for answers, and yet the author only ever reveals as much as
you need to know, and she does this ever so slowly, drop by exquisite drop,
until there comes a point where even as the truth and lies start to coalesce,
you continue to doubt the trustworthiness of either narrator.
And that’s really where the strength of the novel lies, in that, you never really know what’s going on until the book has ended and even then there are still questions...
And that’s really where the strength of the novel lies, in that, you never really know what’s going on until the book has ended and even then there are still questions...
The Domestic Noir genre continues to go from strength to strength with some very fine female writers who command attention, and in my opinion Exquisite is up there with the best of the genre.
Best read with...a home made baguette with brie and grapes...
My thanks to Karen at Orenda for my copy of Exquisite
~***~
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