Monday, January 9, 2017

Biittner's Book Reviews - Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson

Preamble: It's literally been years since I've blogged. One of my goals for 2017 is to write more; I have a few (!!!) manuscripts I need to get finished and submitted. I've been told the more you write, the easier it is so I'm going to use blogging to inspire my academic writing as well. I have another academic blogging project in the works as well (top secret, hush hush stuff I'll blog about eventually...) but for now I thought I'd get back on track by relaunching my book reviews. I used to blog our monthly book club picks and figured I'd up the ante by not only blogging those reads but at least one other book a month. I'm also kicking off with something special!

Back in December I was selected to be a Harper Collins Canada "First Look Reader" for Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson. So in return for a free, advance copy of this book, I promised to share my experience and opinion of it online. I posted my progress through the book on Twitter and Instagram (@kbiittner) but honestly got so caught up in this book that I wasn't as active on social media as I originally intended. But that's a good thing! Her Every Fear is a captivating and compelling read. I consumed this book in a few sittings. The pacing is excellent. Without giving too much away, Swanson begins the narrative from "Her" (Kate's) perspective but then switches to other characters in subsequent chapters to provide both another perspective on the same events or to move the plot forward. It is neatly done in that the switch between characters is logical and easy to follow; it adds clarity (what I call "ah ha!" moments) and tension. It felt like I held my breath for most of the final act of this book. It had a satisfying, if heart pounding, conclusion. The characters themselves are interesting. Kate is a dynamic character; at first I was worried she'd just be the typical "broken beauty with a traumatic past" but it quickly becomes clear that she is much more than that. The building in which most of the book takes place is just as much as a character as it's various (and odd) residents are; it seems to contain many mysteries within its walls, behind its doors. There are a few twists and turns - many are delightfully unexpected!

Overall Her Every Fear was an excellent read and one I would highly recommend.