Synopsis
Cara Burrows has gone to a high-clasa resort in Arizona named Swallowtail. She needs to clear her head and be away from her husband and two kids. Clearly battling with some kind of internal conflict and anger, her life goes on a 720 degree spin when a receptionist assigns her to an occupied room. In this room she sees a man and a young girl, not more than fourteen years old. Later she realizes that she couldn’t have seen that girl. That girl is no one other than Melody Chapa. But it cant be because Melody was killed seven years ago by her parents. Is she going crazy? She musn’t be, because she is not the only one who claims to have seen her at the same resort. The problem is…is Cara Burrows safe?
Thoughts
Sophie Hannah has had my heart since I had first read her work in 2021. The world around me disintegrates and it’s just me and her mentally/emotionally skewed protagonists trapped in some twisted freaky plot. One minute you’re cackling like a hyena and the next your skin is crawling. She is known for her large cast of characters that she spares no opportunity to flesh out. This novel was such an example save for one thing…
My world didn’t disintegrate. I found it harder than I expected to be captivated by this story. Too much of what felt like unnecessary detail was given in the beginning. I understand characterisation is important to her but and by the end of the novel you understand why but the narrative still felt like a full taxi going nowhere or somewhere but way too slowly.
The Ups
I’ll hand it to Hannah. She knows how to characterize. You’d think she’s met every Tom, Dick and Harry down the road. The way she blends the personalities of mundane unassuming civilians with unlikely or exceptional traits, making a story feel so applicable to reality and yet so far removed from it. Taking Fry is as twisted and weird as she is strangely loveable. Someone woman are quietly confident and others have a fierce confident. Fry is that perfect blend of the two (okay maybe a little more on the fierce side)
She is also brilliant at writing in multiple forms. It blows my mind everytime. She goes from writing prose to writing in an interview format, to a diary entry to a formal police statement. I think its genius. Sophie Hannah is passionate and you need only to read her to see that. Read A Game for All Family to see what I mean about writing forms.
The Downs
I’ve noticed tgat in most of Hannah’s standalone books there’s always a woman who centres most of her identity around motherhood. This is not a downer (don’t get me wrong), in fact I love this because it offers a lot of psychological ground to play on. What I didn’t like is how disrespectful these kids were. My gosh. Is this normal in western families? I must say this was painful to read at times. If you’re a mom and reading this please don’t mistake your kid’s rudeness, entitlement, disobedience and sass for confidence and strong-mindedness. Please don’t, because this world will go more haywire than it already has.
Another down as mentioned above was the long-windedness and the general ‘muchness’ of the novel. The end felt very much like a tying-of-loose-strings ceremony. Is it because the 21st century has so much going on that mysteries can’t have their quiet raw edge? Or is it a lack of focus or planned direction? You tell me.
Verdict
All in all, I can’t say this was my favorite of Sophie Hannah. In fact, I’d say it’s my least favorite. Despite this, there are brilliant aspects and moments that stick and moments that spook. So don’t be put off. Give it a read and let me know what you think!