Warning: This post will be discussing abuse and suicide. Reader discretion is advised.
There often comes a time when you explore titles in genres that you don't normally read. During this year's visit to Swanwick, several attendees launched books published by Spellbound Books, including Anita D Hunt with her thriller, Behind the Curtain. This review is part of a Reading Between the Lines blog tour organised by Lynsey Adams.
Blurb
One dead.
One alive.
One perfect husband.
Penny-May cannot quite believe her luck when the handsome and charming Sam is interested in her, especially so soon after the death of his first wife, Lucy. As the relationship develops and Sam’s true nature begins to emerge, Penny-May believes that it is all her fault for not being perfect, for not doing as she is told, for not being Lucy. After all, according to everyone else, he’s the perfect gentleman. Isn’t he?
As desperation sets in, Penny-May is stunned to come across the diaries of Sam's first wife. Will the legacy of Lucy's hidden diaries finally give Penny-May the strength and upper hand to escape Sam?
Review
It's safe to say this book takes a dark tone. The bulk of the story is from Penny-May's perspective, utilising a first-person point of view. It opens with a prologue which takes place in media res, in which she laments her marriage to Sam and wonders about Lucy. We then flash back to roughly two years earlier, where Penny-May secures a temp job as a personal assistant at Sam's firm of architects. She later learns that he's apparently grieving his first wife, who is mentioned to have committed suicide.
Roughly the first third of the book shows Penny-May working more directly with Sam, which soon blossoms into a romantic relationship and later a marriage. You'd think that part would play out like a romantic novel, if it wasn't for the prologue. The book is also interspersed with chapters from Sam's perspective, which utilise a third-person point of view but nonetheless establish that he isn't a nice person. This becomes especially apparent after he's introduced to Penny-May's brother Daniel, who has Down's syndrome. While his interactions are cordial, subsequent chapters from his perspective show his ableism, and it's only a matter of time before that mask slips.
After Sam marries Penny-May, things get unpleasant very quickly. Sam's mother looks down on Penny-May, believing that she married him for his money, while Sam himself is incredibly controlling. It isn't long before he gets physically abusive, and at that point Penny May has few people she can turn to, especially because Sam's regarded as a pillar of the local community.
In the final third, Penny-May discovers Lucy's diaries, showing her journey that was almost identical to Penny's. It further reinforces how vile a person Sam truly is. This is accompanied by Penny-May's escape, which provides an incredible twist and some much-needed catharsis.
All-in-all, Behind the Curtain is a well-written thriller. It will make you angry, but I'd say that's the desired effect, and helps create a truly gripping story. The book is available from Amazon here, and I recommend checking it out.
About the Author
Anita D Hunt lives in the beautiful County of Cornwall. She has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing and is a published poet, theatre critic and short story writer with four of her short stories appearing in the three volumes of Cornwall Writers anthologies. She is also an admin on the Cornwall Writers team.
Anita works in the care industry working with people with dementia and delivering cognitive stimulation therapy sessions for them. She is passionate about equality and accessibility for all. With this driving force, she has several volunteering roles within the County as well as singing and performance signing for Rock Choir Cornwall.
In what spare time she has left, she spends her time with her family, walking her elderly dog and turning her hand to anything crafty.
She has often been known to say that ‘sleep is for wimps…’
Happy writing.
