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A Brief Lunacy: A Novel
Jessie and Carl have made a terrible mistake. They should have been more careful. When Jonah came to their cabin in the Maine woods, asking to use the phone, they should never have let him in. But he told them his campsite had been robbed and he was stranded with no money and no gear. Jessie took pity on him. She was thinking about her own missing daughter, Sylvie, and hoping she was receiving the same kindness—wherever she was.
So, they invite him in, share their dinner with him, offer him a bed for the night. And they discover that this stranger at their table knows all about them. About Sylvie, their troubled daughter; about the secrets they haven't revealed to each other during forty years of marriage. By morning, they realize the young man has no intention of leaving.
Jessie and Carl are now captives in their own home.
The reader, too, is held captive by this novel that seems to unfold in real time. Over the next twenty-four hours, as Jonah's threats escalate, the couple struggle to outwit him and stay alive. Their attempts to escape force them to change roles, one discovering hidden strength, the other giving in to long-concealed weakness. Exposed, brutalized, and lost, each fights to hold on to sanity at a time when the edge of madness has never seemed so near.
Cynthia Thayer is a novelist who has taken her talent for drawing familiar characters—people we really know—to a new level. In this taut psychological thriller, she pushes them to their limits and shakes their secrets free.
So, they invite him in, share their dinner with him, offer him a bed for the night. And they discover that this stranger at their table knows all about them. About Sylvie, their troubled daughter; about the secrets they haven't revealed to each other during forty years of marriage. By morning, they realize the young man has no intention of leaving.
Jessie and Carl are now captives in their own home.
The reader, too, is held captive by this novel that seems to unfold in real time. Over the next twenty-four hours, as Jonah's threats escalate, the couple struggle to outwit him and stay alive. Their attempts to escape force them to change roles, one discovering hidden strength, the other giving in to long-concealed weakness. Exposed, brutalized, and lost, each fights to hold on to sanity at a time when the edge of madness has never seemed so near.
Cynthia Thayer is a novelist who has taken her talent for drawing familiar characters—people we really know—to a new level. In this taut psychological thriller, she pushes them to their limits and shakes their secrets free.
250 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 18, 2005
274 people are currently reading
839 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Thayer
13 books19 followersCynthia Underwood Thayer was born in New York City in 1944, raised in Nova Scotia and migrated to Maine via Massachusetts in 1976 to farm organically. For many years she was a weaver, showing her work throughout Maine and the east coast. Seventeen years ago, at the age of 50, she wrote her first short story, which was published in the Antigonish Review, and was hooked on writing.
She earned her BA in British Literature from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and went on to do her graduate work in nineteenth-century British literature.
Her first novel, Strong for Potatoes, published in 1998 by St. Martin’s Press, won the Rep’s Choice Award, was named best new fiction by Ingram Books, and was a Barnes and Noble “Discover” book.
Her second novel, A Certain Slant of Light, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2000.
She earned her BA in British Literature from Bridgewater State College in Massachusetts, graduating Magna Cum Laude, and went on to do her graduate work in nineteenth-century British literature.
Her first novel, Strong for Potatoes, published in 1998 by St. Martin’s Press, won the Rep’s Choice Award, was named best new fiction by Ingram Books, and was a Barnes and Noble “Discover” book.
Her second novel, A Certain Slant of Light, was published by St. Martin’s Press in 2000.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
May 24, 2018
Don’t be fooled by the author's grandmotherly photo on the book jacket. Cynthia Thayer does wildly uncomfortable, savage things to her characters. Also, she published her first novel at the ripe age of fifty-three. So there.
Blissfully retired, Carl and Jessie live in a cabin in the remote Maine woods. A stranger arrives, a young man seeking shelter for the night. Offering him a safe haven proves to be a nightmarish mistake for the elderly couple.
The terrible things that transpire in the cabin are woven with Carl’s childhood memories of a Nazi concentration camp. The two storylines share themes: the ability of the body and spirit to overcome insurmountable odds, the seemingly endless love of parents for children, and the sickening capacity of humans to inflict pain and suffering.
I love the simple, stark writing style. I love that there aren’t “twists” so much as logical revelations we sense coming. As always, when confronted with tales of the Holocaust, I’m utterly speechless and gobsmacked. The stories must be told. Sometimes the fictional versions are gentler than reality.
What do we make of it all? I don’t know. But “perhaps she will emerge from the fairy darkness dancing.” We should all be so lucky.
Blissfully retired, Carl and Jessie live in a cabin in the remote Maine woods. A stranger arrives, a young man seeking shelter for the night. Offering him a safe haven proves to be a nightmarish mistake for the elderly couple.
The terrible things that transpire in the cabin are woven with Carl’s childhood memories of a Nazi concentration camp. The two storylines share themes: the ability of the body and spirit to overcome insurmountable odds, the seemingly endless love of parents for children, and the sickening capacity of humans to inflict pain and suffering.
I love the simple, stark writing style. I love that there aren’t “twists” so much as logical revelations we sense coming. As always, when confronted with tales of the Holocaust, I’m utterly speechless and gobsmacked. The stories must be told. Sometimes the fictional versions are gentler than reality.
What do we make of it all? I don’t know. But “perhaps she will emerge from the fairy darkness dancing.” We should all be so lucky.
October 30, 2018
I read this for the Genre: Suspense square for Halloween Bingo
What have I done? Who is he? Does he know something? Does he know Sylvie? He’s not just a camper who’s been robbed, is he?
A retired married couple living in Maine get a phone call that their schizophrenic daughter has runaway from her institution with her boyfriend Ralph. As they sit at home waiting by the phone for more information, they get phone calls from their daughter Sylvie saying she is in Ohio to get married to Ralph and at other times she is making her way to them, visits from their neighbor Hans and his wife Marte, and a camper claiming he was robbed looking for a place to sleep for the night. These happenings are told from pov chapters from both Carl and Jessie our married couple as they think back on their life and their connection to one another.
“Carl, I have to do this. God is watching me.”
The first half of this was slow nail biting dread as the story has you get to know the nice normal couple but the atmosphere is building the suspense. Interspersed with the happenings are personal stories that help give us a deep delve into Carl and Jessie. We learn that Carl was interned at Birkenau during WWII but Jessie has never really asked about it, she knows but doesn't know.
The second half kind of shifts from the horror suspense angle into psychological thriller with emotional historical fiction leanings. It felt a bit unnatural with characters, Jessie almost starts to join forces with their mysterious camper to learn about Carl's past, acting in a way that was obvious to push this more towards a historical fiction recounting of the atrocities performed at internment camps. This is where I began to lose a lot of enjoyment for the story. I, personally, can find it hard at times to read fictional accounts of such horrific acts, like the Holocaust, in books that are not for educational purposes or non-fiction personal accounts; it starts to feel like salacious horror for entertainment to me. I'm not saying it never works for me but, here, the contrast from the beginning was too jarring.
Sometimes mothers hope against hope for their children.
The mood (stark, dread, building suspense) and writing style (the pov chapters almost read like stream of consciousness at times) in the first half sucked me in but the second half had characters acting in ways that felt unnatural, left some questions unanswered (why was tree so focused on??), and for the most part abandoned it's horror suspense for psychological historical fiction, a transition that didn't work for me.
What have I done? Who is he? Does he know something? Does he know Sylvie? He’s not just a camper who’s been robbed, is he?
A retired married couple living in Maine get a phone call that their schizophrenic daughter has runaway from her institution with her boyfriend Ralph. As they sit at home waiting by the phone for more information, they get phone calls from their daughter Sylvie saying she is in Ohio to get married to Ralph and at other times she is making her way to them, visits from their neighbor Hans and his wife Marte, and a camper claiming he was robbed looking for a place to sleep for the night. These happenings are told from pov chapters from both Carl and Jessie our married couple as they think back on their life and their connection to one another.
“Carl, I have to do this. God is watching me.”
The first half of this was slow nail biting dread as the story has you get to know the nice normal couple but the atmosphere is building the suspense. Interspersed with the happenings are personal stories that help give us a deep delve into Carl and Jessie. We learn that Carl was interned at Birkenau during WWII but Jessie has never really asked about it, she knows but doesn't know.
The second half kind of shifts from the horror suspense angle into psychological thriller with emotional historical fiction leanings. It felt a bit unnatural with characters, Jessie almost starts to join forces with their mysterious camper to learn about Carl's past, acting in a way that was obvious to push this more towards a historical fiction recounting of the atrocities performed at internment camps. This is where I began to lose a lot of enjoyment for the story. I, personally, can find it hard at times to read fictional accounts of such horrific acts, like the Holocaust, in books that are not for educational purposes or non-fiction personal accounts; it starts to feel like salacious horror for entertainment to me. I'm not saying it never works for me but, here, the contrast from the beginning was too jarring.
Sometimes mothers hope against hope for their children.
The mood (stark, dread, building suspense) and writing style (the pov chapters almost read like stream of consciousness at times) in the first half sucked me in but the second half had characters acting in ways that felt unnatural, left some questions unanswered (why was tree so focused on??), and for the most part abandoned it's horror suspense for psychological historical fiction, a transition that didn't work for me.
February 28, 2021
Good Lord, this was awful. The people so unrealistic, their inner dialogues so ridiculous. Throw in the vomit inducing gratuitous violence and the 🤪 ending, and I want my money back. Depressing, just...just...yug. I ain’t the brightest bulb in the shed, and I get the POINTLESS point—it’s about unconditional love; but this guy has raped you in front of your husband and tortured both of you—shot your fucking neighbor, and you’re describing cooking chicken with mushrooms and the details in this woman’s head are IDIOTIC! Talking about how eagles don’t mate in the air, her hateful, lunatic daughter who caused this whole nightmare, but she still loves her. 🤮 Spoiler alert—she’s STILL an idiot at the end, returning to idyllically painting still life’s in the woods and endlessly drinking tea, everybody sipping wine for ABOUT FOUR CHAPTERS and STILL having half a bottle left to play SCRABBLE. Lololololol...now I sound like a lunatic! 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼
August 19, 2023
4.5 stars
A dreadful book. Right from the very beginning you get a glimpse at an ageing couple living in a secluded rural lake area in a cabin but there's a underlying feeling of ominous apprehension. Something just doesn't feel right.
They love each other with small familiar touches and sayings that is all very touching but still... something isn't right.
A man called Jonah interrupts their afternoon by assimilating his way into their life for just a moment and then without knowing he is eating their dinner and spending the night and then the next morning it all turns sour.
This is a story of love, hatred, war, guilt, mental illness and basically torture.
The tension in this book is literally insane, I haven't moved from my chair until the last word on the page!
I now have a booktube channel
www.youtube.com/@goddessofgore
A dreadful book. Right from the very beginning you get a glimpse at an ageing couple living in a secluded rural lake area in a cabin but there's a underlying feeling of ominous apprehension. Something just doesn't feel right.
They love each other with small familiar touches and sayings that is all very touching but still... something isn't right.
A man called Jonah interrupts their afternoon by assimilating his way into their life for just a moment and then without knowing he is eating their dinner and spending the night and then the next morning it all turns sour.
This is a story of love, hatred, war, guilt, mental illness and basically torture.
The tension in this book is literally insane, I haven't moved from my chair until the last word on the page!
I now have a booktube channel
www.youtube.com/@goddessofgore
December 8, 2018
I didn't like this brief novel, although the writing was well done and Thayer is obviously a storyteller. The novel is about Carl and Jess, two senior citizens who live in rural Maine. Carl is a retired surgeon, and they spend their time huddled around a woodstove drinking tea or drawing and painting in the nearby woods. They have three grown children, one of them a daughter with mental problems who lives in a half way house type of place. One day a man named Jonah arrives at their cottage and says his belonging have been stolen and he need their help. At the same time they receive a call saying their daughter has ran away from her home and has been involved with another patient romantically named Ralph.
As Jonah becomes increasingly disturbed, the couple needs to find out if they can outwit him and stay alive. I have a few issues with the story. The story of being held hostage seems second place to the author's real intent: To describe Carl's experiences in a concentration camp in WWII. This would have worked better if the author had written historical fiction. Jonah seems to know a lot about Carl's past even though that would not be possible unless he was somehow a mind reader.
Carl's story is heartbreaking and seemed historically accurate, that is why I gave this three stars. The rest of the story seemed like window dressing and it felt out of place. For example: The couple appears to live in Maine but it seems like they live in an earlier time and in Europe not America. Carl is a retired surgeon yet they seem to live as very poor people, a house with no locks on the door, an old car, nothing to do all day but sit in front of the stove or draw with pencils. Would they not have enough money to go on vacations, have a summer home, have nice furnishings? Their only neighbors are a German couple named Hans and Martye and there a scene where Jess wonders if people are supposed to call 911 during an emergency? These are highly educated people, yet they seem very primitive. Violence, rape and torture as well.
As Jonah becomes increasingly disturbed, the couple needs to find out if they can outwit him and stay alive. I have a few issues with the story. The story of being held hostage seems second place to the author's real intent: To describe Carl's experiences in a concentration camp in WWII. This would have worked better if the author had written historical fiction. Jonah seems to know a lot about Carl's past even though that would not be possible unless he was somehow a mind reader.
Carl's story is heartbreaking and seemed historically accurate, that is why I gave this three stars. The rest of the story seemed like window dressing and it felt out of place. For example: The couple appears to live in Maine but it seems like they live in an earlier time and in Europe not America. Carl is a retired surgeon yet they seem to live as very poor people, a house with no locks on the door, an old car, nothing to do all day but sit in front of the stove or draw with pencils. Would they not have enough money to go on vacations, have a summer home, have nice furnishings? Their only neighbors are a German couple named Hans and Martye and there a scene where Jess wonders if people are supposed to call 911 during an emergency? These are highly educated people, yet they seem very primitive. Violence, rape and torture as well.
March 6, 2010
This book started as many for me, where I read the first few pages and thought, "Oh. Okay". Somewhere, lost in time, there was a knock at the door of Carl and Jesse's door.
Jesse and Carl, retired, living the life they have always dreamed, by turning their once summer cabin to their retirement home. They laughed, drank wine, painted and enjoyed spending their days watching the pine trees grow and the seagulls fly... Then there was a knock at the door.
Once the 'knock' occured, I was hooked. I sat right in the living room with Jesse and Carl, as they spent the next 24 hours with a unwanted quest who entered their lives, on the plea of his camp site being ransacked and his supplies stolen. All this occurs shortly after they receive a phone call that their daughter, Sylvie, has disappeared from her "mental facility".
The struggles of worry for their daughter and whether or not they will see her again, because they do not know where she is, and they do not know if they will survive their captur is a heavy weight. I felt, as the reader, as though I wanted to take Jesses grantie rock and throw it myself. This story pulled me in and I cried. I felt hurt, embarrassed, saddened, filled with love and shocked with each page I turned, as Jesse and Carl were put in situations that made them bring out the silent side that has rested all these years. The secrets that are revealed with change their lives for ever, but how they change can destroy them or heal them...
What a great read!
Jesse and Carl, retired, living the life they have always dreamed, by turning their once summer cabin to their retirement home. They laughed, drank wine, painted and enjoyed spending their days watching the pine trees grow and the seagulls fly... Then there was a knock at the door.
Once the 'knock' occured, I was hooked. I sat right in the living room with Jesse and Carl, as they spent the next 24 hours with a unwanted quest who entered their lives, on the plea of his camp site being ransacked and his supplies stolen. All this occurs shortly after they receive a phone call that their daughter, Sylvie, has disappeared from her "mental facility".
The struggles of worry for their daughter and whether or not they will see her again, because they do not know where she is, and they do not know if they will survive their captur is a heavy weight. I felt, as the reader, as though I wanted to take Jesses grantie rock and throw it myself. This story pulled me in and I cried. I felt hurt, embarrassed, saddened, filled with love and shocked with each page I turned, as Jesse and Carl were put in situations that made them bring out the silent side that has rested all these years. The secrets that are revealed with change their lives for ever, but how they change can destroy them or heal them...
What a great read!
December 15, 2012
(3.5/5 stars)
An unusual hostage situation, involving an elderly couple, dredges up a husband's long-buried secrets. I thought the author did a good job of evoking the sense of confusion, fear, shock, and guilt a situation like this would engender. This novel also included beautiful imagery and historical connections that made it more rich and interesting.
For me the character development was fairly strong, but given that this was such a character-driven novel, I expected to feel a deeper connection to the main characters.
I had several issues with believability that I won't go into since this is a spoiler-free review.
An unusual hostage situation, involving an elderly couple, dredges up a husband's long-buried secrets. I thought the author did a good job of evoking the sense of confusion, fear, shock, and guilt a situation like this would engender. This novel also included beautiful imagery and historical connections that made it more rich and interesting.
For me the character development was fairly strong, but given that this was such a character-driven novel, I expected to feel a deeper connection to the main characters.
I had several issues with believability that I won't go into since this is a spoiler-free review.
June 4, 2011
All I could think was, has this woman been watching Funny Games?
September 20, 2018
I couldn’t finish this book as I found it too depressing/emotionally distressing. I don’t need to spend my time reading a book that evokes such a negative reaction in me.
November 25, 2019
I couldn't put this book down. An elderly couple with a schizophrenic daughter and a number of secrets are held hostage by the daughter's mentally ill boyfriend. The story was horrifying, but so well written and the end was perfect.
April 24, 2021
This brief novel was very very dark and I feel pointlessly horrific.
I am at the point of my life if you want to talk about horrific events like concentration camps it needs to add to the story. Here I feel these stories didn’t add to the book.
I am at the point of my life if you want to talk about horrific events like concentration camps it needs to add to the story. Here I feel these stories didn’t add to the book.
April 2, 2021
Maybe more of a 2.5 than a 3. It definitely kept me reading (it's short enough to read in one long I've-got-nothing-else-to-do Covid sitting) but I kind of hated it most of the time I was reading it. Jessie and Carl do some really stupid things and act in ways that seem very far-fetched. For awhile I thought it was going to be one of those books where the reader learns at the end that the main character is hallucinating all of the other characters. It had that sort of feeling of unreality. The stuff about gypsys (gypsies?) at Birkenau was interesting.
November 20, 2016
Would have been a 4-star rating, as I really enjoyed the story and its structure and characters, but there were just too many moments of, "Wait, where the hell did that comparison [thought, remark, metaphor] come from?"
For instance, at one point in the story the viewpoint character is "surprised" by Hmm. The book is rife with remarks like this, things that just don't fit together and had me scratching my head as to why the author would seem to go through so much trouble to make these otherwise sympathetic and realistic characters seem...contrived and naive and sometimes flat-out idiotic.
Besides this, the story was solid, told in a compelling way with lots of golden moments. I did enjoy it.
For instance, at one point in the story the viewpoint character is "surprised" by Hmm. The book is rife with remarks like this, things that just don't fit together and had me scratching my head as to why the author would seem to go through so much trouble to make these otherwise sympathetic and realistic characters seem...contrived and naive and sometimes flat-out idiotic.
Besides this, the story was solid, told in a compelling way with lots of golden moments. I did enjoy it.
November 26, 2012
A stereotypical, weak thriller. The characters are naive, and inconsistent -which, obviously, is necessary in order to get the plot rolling. "I don't want a weird stranger in my house! Get out! Get out! Well, no, on second thought, why don´t you stay for the night?"
The predictable escalation into violence and madness features all the most shameful, disgusting experiences that the author could have possibly thought of: nudity, rape, physical violence, the digging-up of atrocious memories from Nazi camps - anything else you want to add? It reminded me of the film "Funny games": as painful, as disturbing; and despite its self-righteousness, in the end, as incredibly pointless, and self-indulgent.
The predictable escalation into violence and madness features all the most shameful, disgusting experiences that the author could have possibly thought of: nudity, rape, physical violence, the digging-up of atrocious memories from Nazi camps - anything else you want to add? It reminded me of the film "Funny games": as painful, as disturbing; and despite its self-righteousness, in the end, as incredibly pointless, and self-indulgent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2020
This was a bizarre book, with more unanswered questions than any kind of story. Sort of like the author created a story as a means to tell the story she really wanted to tell and it just doesn't work. It's a fast read, and the writing itself was decent and interesting as it moved from character to character, but just not a very memorable book at all.
November 17, 2009
This book was fascinating. It explored many interesting elements including mental illness and World War II Nazi Germany. It was so compelling I completed it in one day. Also by Thayer: "A Certain Slant of Light" and "Strong for Potatoes."
January 4, 2019
I really enjoyed this novel featuring an elderly couple that are taken hostage by their schizophrenic daughter's mentally ill boyfriend.
This is no holds - barred, gritty psychological suspense.
This is no holds - barred, gritty psychological suspense.
April 3, 2020
Jessie and Carl have made a terrible mistake. They should have been more careful. When Jonah came to their cabin in the Maine woods, asking to use the phone, they should never have let him in. But he told them his campsite had been robbed and he was stranded with no money and no gear. Jessie took pity on him. She was thinking about her own missing daughter, Sylvie, and hoping she was receiving the same kindness wherever she was. So, they invite him in, share their dinner with him, offer him a bed for the night. And they discover that this stranger at their table knows all about them. About Sylvie, their troubled daughter; about the secrets they haven't revealed to each other during forty years of marriage. By morning, they realize the young man has no intention of leaving. Jessie and Carl are now captives in their own home. The reader, too, is held captive by this novel that seems to unfold in real time. Over the next twenty-four hours, as Jonah's threats escalate, the couple struggle to outwit him and stay alive. Their attempts to escape force them to change roles, one discovering hidden strength, the other giving in to long-concealed weakness. Exposed, brutalized, and lost, each fights to hold on to sanity at a time when the edge of madness has never seemed so near.
This slim novel packs a powerful punch. Not only is it a gripping psychological thriller, but it is also a tender lover story about the strength of a marriage and how two people who truly love each other can get through almost anything together. Thayer does an admirable job of blending suspense with love story, making A Brief Lunacy not only a quick, pulse-pounding read, but also one that touches your heart and stays with you long after you’ve finished the last page.
This slim novel packs a powerful punch. Not only is it a gripping psychological thriller, but it is also a tender lover story about the strength of a marriage and how two people who truly love each other can get through almost anything together. Thayer does an admirable job of blending suspense with love story, making A Brief Lunacy not only a quick, pulse-pounding read, but also one that touches your heart and stays with you long after you’ve finished the last page.
March 8, 2019
If I could have sat and read this book in one sitting, I would have. It captures your attention from the first page. At first the story was just about the day to day of this old, retired married couple. They were cute, and so likable. Still so in love even after all their years together. Then the story quickly picks up with the telling of their daughter Sylvie who is mentally ill. Hearing her story of what sets her off and how outrageous she gets, really draws you in more. Then the real climax of meeting Jonah begins. At first he just seems like an extremely weird, but harmless guy who needed a place to stay for the night. But quick enough, you find that is not the case and that he is indeed 100% crazy. There were times it was hard to continue reading, like when Jessie gets raped (thankfully it was not extremely detailed) or when one of them does something stupid to attempt to escape that just results in Carl getting hurt more. But overall you're just so entranced with the story you have to keep going to see what happens. I also enjoyed Carl's back story about being in the concentration camp during WWII and how he escaped by being tied to a trucks underside. Such a good book. I can't wait to check out more from the author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2018
I loved it!
I could relate to every character in this story that portrayed the mother , child , sibling , father caught in the darkness & pain that accompanies loving someone with a mental illness. Also the connection and how each character dealt with the pain and loss differently none of them wrong.. Even the ‘villain ‘ you connected with from Jessie’s perspective . Reading intrigued by each of their individual life stories & how that experience formed them into the people they became in their old age @ the time of their story. The tenderness of the main characters was poignant and pulled @ the heart strings. You cheered for them , felt the pain for the them were in that cabin with them while they were finding great courage, love and redemption in their journey. They are portrayed as atheist but the love and courage that comes deep inside them ..is something of a miracle in and of itself . Greatly enjoyed!
I could relate to every character in this story that portrayed the mother , child , sibling , father caught in the darkness & pain that accompanies loving someone with a mental illness. Also the connection and how each character dealt with the pain and loss differently none of them wrong.. Even the ‘villain ‘ you connected with from Jessie’s perspective . Reading intrigued by each of their individual life stories & how that experience formed them into the people they became in their old age @ the time of their story. The tenderness of the main characters was poignant and pulled @ the heart strings. You cheered for them , felt the pain for the them were in that cabin with them while they were finding great courage, love and redemption in their journey. They are portrayed as atheist but the love and courage that comes deep inside them ..is something of a miracle in and of itself . Greatly enjoyed!
March 1, 2019
This was a very small book. Not small in a pejorative way, but small in the sense of the setting and the characters. It is confined and that adds to the exceptional tension and fear the author creates here.
As a fiction reader, I generally eschew the "Could this happen?" question. Too much weird stuff happens for me to question the presentation of others thoughts and ideas. But, if that is a concern of yours, this book will raise those issues. Not in huge, existential, fantastic ways, but in small ways - like most of this book.
This a strong explication of marriage, identify, parenthood, fear, love, commitment, sanity, and self. It went places I didn't expect but always slowly (with a few exceptions). You see mistakes being made, compounded and the impact of them. And, you recognize those mistakes.
As a fiction reader, I generally eschew the "Could this happen?" question. Too much weird stuff happens for me to question the presentation of others thoughts and ideas. But, if that is a concern of yours, this book will raise those issues. Not in huge, existential, fantastic ways, but in small ways - like most of this book.
This a strong explication of marriage, identify, parenthood, fear, love, commitment, sanity, and self. It went places I didn't expect but always slowly (with a few exceptions). You see mistakes being made, compounded and the impact of them. And, you recognize those mistakes.
August 4, 2020
Writing that is both easy and severe to read, had me spellbound. The pages flipped fast in maybe eight sprees of reading. A naturally crafted regional feeling in there, so different from my region, with plunges into historic stories made for the kind of transportation I hope for when I go for a read.
And then there is the story itself. What a situation to stand by as a reader. Anyone with a family which is everyone, would find it relatable in one of a hundred possible ways. Good book! And it's doing the rounds as friends read it quickly, grateful for something that competes very easily with the best of screen shows these days, especially if you tend to feel tired in the evenings or generally.
And then there is the story itself. What a situation to stand by as a reader. Anyone with a family which is everyone, would find it relatable in one of a hundred possible ways. Good book! And it's doing the rounds as friends read it quickly, grateful for something that competes very easily with the best of screen shows these days, especially if you tend to feel tired in the evenings or generally.
January 13, 2022
This was mostly pretty good. I read it pretty quickly—it’s pretty easy to get into the characters and care about them. The writing was, for the most part, good. I say for the most part because one thing sticks out like a sore thumb: the dialogue. Sometimes, the way people talk to each other is borderline alien, and it really took me out of it. Additionally, some of the characters’ decisions didn’t make much sense, but I could mostly deal with them.
Overall, still worth recommending. I haven’t read anything else by Thayer, so I can’t say whether this is better or worse than the majority of her output. It’s definitely still a good book all in all.
Overall, still worth recommending. I haven’t read anything else by Thayer, so I can’t say whether this is better or worse than the majority of her output. It’s definitely still a good book all in all.
August 24, 2018
I couldn't stop reading this, I just had to find out what happened. That is why I gave it 3 stars. Other than that, it was like watching a B movie thriller, where the people aren't thinking things through and make bad choices, which is what the movie needs to keep the story going. An older couple, whose schizophrenic daughter has just escaped from a group home, is held hostage in their home by a young lunatic man. Weird and terrible things happen. But the writing isn't that bad. It does make you wonder what you would do in their situation.
May 12, 2019
This book is very well written and keeps you interested due to the wonderful and deep descriptiveness. However, the author dives into some arenas that are just far too gruesome. Rape, torture, schizophrenia, the holocaust etc. I never get grossed out by books but you need a string stomach to get through this one. In addition, after finishing the book I realized that there was really no meaning to the main premise. Intruder breaks in and teaches about god. I couldn’t find the hidden message. This said, however, it is the type of book you can read in one sitting.
August 10, 2018
Such a Different Kind of Thriller
An old couple dealing with a stranger who is severely mentally ill. The back and forth between the couple and the young man is riveting. I love Jessie with her strength and fearlessness. Not only a great female character, but an older woman being being a fierce mother and wife. Jessie is all about protecting her own.
An old couple dealing with a stranger who is severely mentally ill. The back and forth between the couple and the young man is riveting. I love Jessie with her strength and fearlessness. Not only a great female character, but an older woman being being a fierce mother and wife. Jessie is all about protecting her own.
September 23, 2021
finished yesterday 22nd september 2021 good read four stars really liked it kindle library loaner first from thayer reminds me of the zoo story edward albee if i have that right check my math as for the most the story takes place on one stage a room or rooms in a farmhouse although now that i consider it there is a tree setting, driveway, so my math is off it happens.
October 16, 2019
This was not a typical thriller to me. It was really a sad story of an elderly couple held captive. I found myself mad at Carl for not stepping up to save his wife. The book was short and quick read as you cant put it down because you want to see what happens next.
February 19, 2020
Really kept my interest
I downloaded this because it was free, and I've been disappointed before by free downloads, but not this time! I found myself getting up early before work so I had time to read a bit.
I downloaded this because it was free, and I've been disappointed before by free downloads, but not this time! I found myself getting up early before work so I had time to read a bit.
May 5, 2020
I can't really decide if I liked this book. It was a good book, well written, well told. But really continues a stereotype of mental illness I'm not comfortable with. Not every twist can be "oh, mentally ill."
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