Review: Gripping, Gritty, and Riveting!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 2, 2013
This is one of the best novels I've read in a while. At first, we are sympathetic to Derek and the situation in which he finds himself. Then we begin to wonder. Then we are taken on a psychological ride as the author unfolds this story to us through Derek's thoughts, feelings, and experiences. It is skillfully written, and not a line is wasted in this book.The supporting characters are not particularly well-developed. While this could be seen as a shortcoming in the book, critics need to remember that we are seeing the world through Derek's experiences, and he can no longer recognize faces. The reader gets what he gets as he's seeing and experiencing it, so the lack of developed characterization leaves us with the slight discord that this main character experiences all the time. Instead of being a weakness, it helps us inhabit Derek's unsure world more fully.The description states this is a thriller about a crazed stalker. That is part of the book, but it doesn't give the full strength of this story. While the stalker is a significant part of the plot, this novel is also about a person learning to look in the mirror and come to terms with himself. This is a powerful story that brings to the fore all the shades of grey of a world that cannot be tidily summed up into black and white.