Everyone's entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I'm not. I'm the villain.
WhaaaaaEveryone's entitled to be the hero of their own story. So I must be permitted to be the hero of mine. Even though I'm not. I'm the villain.
Whaaaaaat???
I must echo group therapist Mariana, the main character in Alex Michaelides' sophomore psychological mystery, and ask, "How had I been so blind?" I truly did not guess the ending, perhaps because Alex led me to be super suspicious of EVERYTHING in this story … and then my suspicions turned out to be well founded for reasons I was NOT expecting.
This epistolary novel goes backwards and forwards, unveiling tantalizing clues, as the fragile yet somehow sturdy Mariana seeks not to solve the mystery of a serial killer but rather to find a way to bring to justice the killer who looks to get away with it. Her character is kind of lost in the aftermath of the death of her husband, and this case unexpectedly charges her with purpose. That determination and grit is what makes me like her even though there were many times I found myself mentally yelling at her ("no! what are you doing?! you're going to get killed ... and you're killing me!") - I suspect some will find her frustratingly maddening and dreary. None of the other characters were that likable either so don't expect deep character building here.
The story is set at Cambridge, where Mariana's niece Zoe is studying under the charismatic (and evil?) teacher of Greek history Edward Fosca. I almost did an exchange program to England when I was in college and now I feel a little like I know what it might have been like. That peek into life at Cambridge alone made this book interesting to me. Also in this Greek tragedy are a bunch of mean girls aka maidens and more romantic interests than I would expect for one morose widow.
I read The Maidens in a day, and yes I purposely read it during daylight so as to not freak myself out but as it ends up this suspense seized my attention without horrifying the heck out of me. The short chapters act as a mental luge that speed you to the finish (some might find this lacking in plot points).
This isn't for someone seeking a super deep psychological story. It is however a perfect escape from all that is going on in our pandemic world - it couldn't be timed better for the book I'll be recommending if you need a beach read this year (even if you're only going on a mental vacation).
P.S. And what delicious Silent Patient Easter eggs (!), even though I must confess I never read The Silent Patient. I suspect that served me well as I read The Maidens with no expectations, preconceptions or comparisons. It's clear that a thread runs through Alex's stories of therapists as the protagonist with an unstable mind as their foil.
*digging into my book piles for my copy of The Silent Patient*
My honest review is thanks to an advanced copy from Celadon. ...more
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