Into the Water – by Paula Hawkins
Paula Hawkins also wrote “The Girl on the Train” which I read some time ago and enjoyed.
This was another audio book – and I wonder if that had an impact on my enjoyment of it. There were a lot of characters and it felt confusing at times. In a paper book you have the option of flicking back to check on something – this is much more difficult to do with an audio book.
The story takes place in Northumberland, in a small town near a river. Historically the river was the location witches were drowned, and more recently were women have committed suicide.
Jules returns to her childhood home when her sister dies from a suspected suicide in the river. She has to look after her sister’s 15 year old daughter. Jules doesn’t believe her sister committed suicide and tells the police about an answerphone message Nell (her sister) left before she died in which she sounded frightened by something.
Gerald’s Game – by Stephen King
Jessie and her husband Gerald take some time off and go to a secluded lakeside holiday cabin. Gerald likes to play a game where he ties his wife to the bed with handcuffs. This spicing up of their sex life has been going on for some time but the thrill has gone for Jessie. Unfortunately for her, Gerald has a heart attack and dies, leaving Jessie tied to the bed.
I enjoyed this book – only Stephen King could write a full length novel where the main character is for the most part handcuffed to a bed. Some of it is fairly brutal and gruesome – there’s a ghost and a hungry, stray dog to keep her company – as well as some unwelcome childhood memories.
How she eventually escapes made me think of “Between a Rock and a Hard Place” by Aron Ralston. It made me wonder what lengths I would go to ensure my own survival in extreme circumstances.
Pixie Chronicles 