After Alicia Berenson is brought to trial for shooting her husband, Gabriel, to death at their home, she's remanded into psychiatric care at the Grove, an old facility in North London that's about to be shut down. Her trial ended with this decision because it could not continue -- Alicia refused to speak. She was frozen, immobile, non responsive. It was said that she had a long history of mental illness. It's 6 years later, now, and Alicia still has not spoken a word. Enter Theo Faber -- a 42-year-old forensic psychotherapist. He is convinced that he's uniquely qualified to help Alicia Berenson to tell her story and to get well. In short, he seems almost obsessed about her. NO SPOILERS.
This psychological thriller is quite complex and though slow to start, once it gets going, the tale is very compelling. Sometimes a bit hard to follow, the reader knows that there's something very strange going on at the Grove. And a great deal wrong with certain people who work there. In addition, as Theo seeks out those who knew Alicia before her husband died, some disturbing information comes to light. Then, there's Alicia's diary. Either some folks are lying or Alicia is more messed up than anyone knew. Will Alicia ever speak to Theo and can he help her? The conclusion may surprise you!
I enjoyed this debut and will definitely look for future books by this author. Thank you to Edelweiss and Celadon Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.
Standalone, not part of a series. Psychological thriller.
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