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Her
You don’t remember her—but she remembers you.
On the face of it, Emma and Nina have very little in common. Isolated and exhausted by early motherhood, Emma finds her confidence is fading fast. Nina—sophisticated, generous, effortlessly in control—seems to have all the answers.
It’s easy to see why Emma is drawn to Nina. But what does Nina see in her?
A seemingly innocent friendship slowly develops into a dangerous game of cat and mouse as Nina eases her way into Emma’s life. Soon, it becomes clear that Nina wants something from the unwitting Emma—something that might just destroy her.
On the face of it, Emma and Nina have very little in common. Isolated and exhausted by early motherhood, Emma finds her confidence is fading fast. Nina—sophisticated, generous, effortlessly in control—seems to have all the answers.
It’s easy to see why Emma is drawn to Nina. But what does Nina see in her?
A seemingly innocent friendship slowly develops into a dangerous game of cat and mouse as Nina eases her way into Emma’s life. Soon, it becomes clear that Nina wants something from the unwitting Emma—something that might just destroy her.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published June 12, 2014
382 people are currently reading
12729 people want to read
About the author
Harriet Lane
7 books159 followersHarriet Lane has worked as an editor and staff writer at Tatler and the Observer. She has also written for Vogue, the Guardian and the New York Times. She lives in north London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,875 reviews
June 30, 2014
It’s not a long book but it drags drags drags drags drags drags drags drags drags, it drags more than Priscilla Queen of the Desert multiplied by Some Like it Hot, because not only does nothing much happen (a dinner party, a bit of babysitting, a family holiday, it’s not Die Hard, that is for sure) each time something mild does happen you have to go through it twice, because everything is narrated by Emma and then by Nina or Nina and then by Emma, two versions of everything. We've come across this technique before. Well, here it is again.
The atmosphere of baleful self-loathing in this novel is as thick as cake mix. The young mother Emma is being eaten alive by her baby and three year old. There is no joy to be had anywhere for Emma. The kids are perfectly normal, as is the husband, but poor Emma is standing on tiptoe with the waters of quiet hysteria rising to within an inch of her nose. So her story is claustrophobically unhappy. Nina, the other half of the story, is well-off London chicness itself but she appears to be insinuating herself into Emma’s life with the purpose of doing some terrible harm, for 200 pages, so that gives you the creeps, it’s all a bit Hand That Rocks the Cradle. For 50 pages or so it’s okay, the dread slowly builds up. But man, we have to wait. And wait. And then in the end, pffffft. Come on Harriet, we’ve all seen Fatal Attraction, the phrase “she’s a bunny boiler” has passed into the national consciousness. You have to crank it up a little more than this.
Also I didn’t buy the whole revenge plot motivation. It was as thin as a catwalk model. I got that feeling I often get when I (mostly ill-advisedly) read thrillers, that people don’t really behave like this in real life, it's all too psychologically pat.
Oh, also, the style of this book became painful after a while. Every dad-blamed thing in these women’s lives gets noticed, every single solitary item middle-class British women have in their houses gets a name-check, and absolutely everything gets an appropriate adjective applied. Random sampling from page 45
The hot garden
The little porch
The mildewy macs
The thankful chill
The soft cold flagstones
The striped roller-towel
The mesh panels
The thick streaks
And again from p 149, still going strong
The wrought-iron gates
The sherbet bubbles
The bright fresh grass
An acid-yellow ball
The leather tassel keyring
The cold hard shock
The white tiers
A narrow leafy alleyway
The black mouth
The insistent push
The metal-framed windows
It seems Harriet Lane is being paid by the adjective. And really, most of these adjectives are not worth waiting up for.
Sorry Harriet. Try not to hate me.
July 8, 2014
I was comfortably poised to give this psychological thriller five stars. I loved the beautiful prose, the gradually increasing sense of menace and tension, the examination of how a woman's identity and sense of self can be utterly subsumed by motherhood.
Then I finished it.
I believe the words that came out of my mouth were something approximating the phrase ARE YOU XXXXING KIDDING ME????!!!
Seriously, seriously, the most ridiculous motive and the most 'ran out of ideas' ending I have had the misfortune to read in many years (and my readers will know that I myself am no stranger to writing a crap ending!). So disappointing. Still worth a read but the editor that let that ending pass deserves a big slap with a wet fish.
Then I finished it.
I believe the words that came out of my mouth were something approximating the phrase ARE YOU XXXXING KIDDING ME????!!!
Seriously, seriously, the most ridiculous motive and the most 'ran out of ideas' ending I have had the misfortune to read in many years (and my readers will know that I myself am no stranger to writing a crap ending!). So disappointing. Still worth a read but the editor that let that ending pass deserves a big slap with a wet fish.
August 16, 2025
(First read February 2014; reread August 2025.) An astute character study and masterful piece of domestic observation. It’s neither as immediate or as straightforward as Alys, Always, a little more difficult to get a handle on, and at first I wondered if I was going to find it less fulfilling on the second read. Then, suddenly, I was all in, and couldn’t put it down. And when I reread my original review below, I realised I’d had exactly the same experience first time round: initial apprehension followed by total absorption.
Original review (written 2014, some mild spoilers):
Her is the second novel from Harriet Lane, author of the wonderful Alys, Always. Two women, Nina and Emma, tell their stories in alternating chapters. When the characters meet - or, more accurately, when Nina sees Emma in the street - there is an instant flare of horror, panic and fascination on Nina's side. Straight away it is clear that the characters have encountered one another before, and that whatever interaction they have had, it has left a mark on Nina - but not on Emma, who fails to recognise Nina.
The plot presents an immediate, obvious mystery: what can possibly have happened between the two women to make Nina obsessed with Emma, while Emma doesn't remember Nina at all? After a period of contemplation - 'I'm scared of seeing her, and I'm scared that I'll never see her again' - Nina finds a way to initiate contact with Emma, and strikes up something Emma sees as a new friendship, but Nina (and the reader) knows to be a deliberate and carefully plotted campaign to insinuate herself into Emma's life. For her part, Emma is quickly taken in by Nina, the kind of cool, calm and collected woman she wishes she could be.
Emma is a pleasant, recognisable character. While reasonably well off, she's struggling in a number of ways, and has none of Nina's composure. Although she loves her children, motherhood has not been what she hoped. Emma is always tired and unkempt, is jealous of her husband's ability to continue with his career unaffected, and feels lonely, distanced from both the world of work and any sort of social life. Her emotions towards both her husband and her children switch between love and resentment; her existence is one of exhaustion and perpetual dissatisfaction. Emma resembles the 'put-upon young mother' stereotype common in contemporary fiction, but here the well-worn caricature is fleshed out into something that actually resembles a real person.
Nina is altogether more complex and difficult. In Nina, we have someone who perhaps resembles Frances of Alys, Always a decade or more into her social-climbing project. She is the daughter of a successful composer, but often hints at a difficult childhood: her father habitually unfaithful, her mother an eccentric and a heavy drinker. Nina seeks to present herself as sleek, sophisticated and glamorous, and almost everything in her life is beautifully ordered and controlled. She has a teenage daughter, distant and pretty, and a second husband, a quiet, unobtrusive presence in her life. When she speaks of her first husband, Arnold, it is often with the language of gratitude:
I've read some reviews of Alys, Always that criticised it for being a psychological thriller that wasn't thrilling enough. I don't agree with this assessment at all (not least because Alys, Always is not a psychological thriller), but I'm sure that those readers will feel the same about Her, which has been explicitly positioned as a thriller: when the Big Reveal comes, the moment the whole book has been working up to, it isn't anything much at all. Does this mean it's disappointing? Quite the opposite. The fact that the root of all this is such a tiny thing, and something entirely beyond Emma's control or even knowledge, makes it all the more strange and unnerving. It also suddenly tilts the character of Nina entirely and makes her seem much more unhinged than the reader may have previously supposed. This sets the tone for a dramatic cliffhanger ending which leaves the characters' fate, and the aftermath of these climactic events, open to the reader's interpretation.
It takes a special kind of talent to replace an expected big revelation with a small, unremarkable one and still make this feel as big and meaningful as the most lurid of twists. In fact, examined more closely, the book is full of moments like this. For example, it's frequently implied that Nina is flirting with Ben, Emma's husband, and you wonder if she is going to try and seduce him - it seems as if it would be easy - but nothing Nina does is that obvious. This is a book of subtleties. In fact, Nina herself spells out the truth of her tale. After speaking to Ben about a book he's reading, she observes:
Original review (written 2014, some mild spoilers):
Her is the second novel from Harriet Lane, author of the wonderful Alys, Always. Two women, Nina and Emma, tell their stories in alternating chapters. When the characters meet - or, more accurately, when Nina sees Emma in the street - there is an instant flare of horror, panic and fascination on Nina's side. Straight away it is clear that the characters have encountered one another before, and that whatever interaction they have had, it has left a mark on Nina - but not on Emma, who fails to recognise Nina.
The plot presents an immediate, obvious mystery: what can possibly have happened between the two women to make Nina obsessed with Emma, while Emma doesn't remember Nina at all? After a period of contemplation - 'I'm scared of seeing her, and I'm scared that I'll never see her again' - Nina finds a way to initiate contact with Emma, and strikes up something Emma sees as a new friendship, but Nina (and the reader) knows to be a deliberate and carefully plotted campaign to insinuate herself into Emma's life. For her part, Emma is quickly taken in by Nina, the kind of cool, calm and collected woman she wishes she could be.
Emma is a pleasant, recognisable character. While reasonably well off, she's struggling in a number of ways, and has none of Nina's composure. Although she loves her children, motherhood has not been what she hoped. Emma is always tired and unkempt, is jealous of her husband's ability to continue with his career unaffected, and feels lonely, distanced from both the world of work and any sort of social life. Her emotions towards both her husband and her children switch between love and resentment; her existence is one of exhaustion and perpetual dissatisfaction. Emma resembles the 'put-upon young mother' stereotype common in contemporary fiction, but here the well-worn caricature is fleshed out into something that actually resembles a real person.
Nina is altogether more complex and difficult. In Nina, we have someone who perhaps resembles Frances of Alys, Always a decade or more into her social-climbing project. She is the daughter of a successful composer, but often hints at a difficult childhood: her father habitually unfaithful, her mother an eccentric and a heavy drinker. Nina seeks to present herself as sleek, sophisticated and glamorous, and almost everything in her life is beautifully ordered and controlled. She has a teenage daughter, distant and pretty, and a second husband, a quiet, unobtrusive presence in her life. When she speaks of her first husband, Arnold, it is often with the language of gratitude:
Sometimes it felt as if Arnold, with his confidence and generosity and taste, had willed me into existence, suggesting as much as fostering the characteristics which are now so much a part of me. He turned my shyness into reserve, my guardedness into self-possession. He brought me out of the shadows. All this talk of 'finding yourself': often, other people show you yourself first.If Arnold was Nina's ticket to the life, and the self, she craved, he has long since been discarded; tellingly, 'he knew too much. He'd seen both sides.' Nina is an artist, but it seems as though she has enough money to stop working, should she want to. There is clearly no financial or social motivation for her pursuit of a friendship with Emma. Nina often alludes to the idea that Emma was once 'perfect' and has somehow fallen from grace - something she regards with both delight and disgust. Every aspect of Emma's life provokes an obsessive instinct in Nina, and there is a manipulative cruelty to the way she pursues her quarry with small, insidious acts, but this preoccupation with Emma is one of the only things that rattles Nina and therefore one of the only things that humanises her. In the opening pages, her feelings upon sighting Emma are 'overwhelmingly powerful: like panic, or passion.' It's these cracks in the armour that make you desperate to get under the skin of the character.
I've read some reviews of Alys, Always that criticised it for being a psychological thriller that wasn't thrilling enough. I don't agree with this assessment at all (not least because Alys, Always is not a psychological thriller), but I'm sure that those readers will feel the same about Her, which has been explicitly positioned as a thriller: when the Big Reveal comes, the moment the whole book has been working up to, it isn't anything much at all. Does this mean it's disappointing? Quite the opposite. The fact that the root of all this is such a tiny thing, and something entirely beyond Emma's control or even knowledge, makes it all the more strange and unnerving. It also suddenly tilts the character of Nina entirely and makes her seem much more unhinged than the reader may have previously supposed. This sets the tone for a dramatic cliffhanger ending which leaves the characters' fate, and the aftermath of these climactic events, open to the reader's interpretation.
It takes a special kind of talent to replace an expected big revelation with a small, unremarkable one and still make this feel as big and meaningful as the most lurid of twists. In fact, examined more closely, the book is full of moments like this. For example, it's frequently implied that Nina is flirting with Ben, Emma's husband, and you wonder if she is going to try and seduce him - it seems as if it would be easy - but nothing Nina does is that obvious. This is a book of subtleties. In fact, Nina herself spells out the truth of her tale. After speaking to Ben about a book he's reading, she observes:
I don't say that I've read it and enjoyed it, though I found the final plot twist unsatisfying, as plot twists often are: nothing like life, which - it seems to me - turns less on shocks or theatrics than on the small quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook.And then, deliciously:
'I don't think I like these characters,' he's saying: an annoying remark, one with which I can't be bothered to engage.I didn't find Her to be as immediate or as continually gripping as Alys, Always, but after finishing it, I couldn't stop thinking about it for weeks. It took me a while to get round to writing this review but, once I started re-skimming the book to jog my memory, I found that I really wanted to read it again. Her doesn't grab you by the collar and refuse to let go: it creeps up on you and worms its way into your head until it feels like a part of your reality. Nina and Emma are so fully-formed and well-realised that I find it almost impossible to believe they aren't out there somewhere, living these lives. This is a tightly plotted novel that is taut with suspense but, more than that, it is a wonderfully intricate, rewarding character study that demands to be reread and savoured.
July 18, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
^^^That's me . . . well, you know, only less deliciously humpable.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. THERE WILL ALSO BE .GIFS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, SO DON'TCHA DARE COME HERE BITCHING ABOUT ME USING "VIDEO CLIPS" IN MY PERSONAL REVIEW SPACE!
What can I even say about Her? Maybe I should just let one of the MCs speak for me . . .
"I don't think I like these characters."
The problem is I didn't actively dislike them either. They were so "meh" I couldn't muster up much feeling for them at all. (If you actively follow my reviews, you'll know this is the second time in like two weeks this has happened to me and at this point Mitchell's getting angry!)
Alright, so the premise of the story is that Nina remembers Emma from waywayback. A chance encounter brings the two back together again and they develop a friendship. Or do they?!?!?!? DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!
Yeah, this didn't work for me. I'm all for the slow roller, but seriously the entire reason this bitch Nina wants to friend poor unsuspecting Emma is to seek revenge because Nina's father might have looked at Emma as a hot piece of tail back when they were teenagers and because of Nina's big mouth and insinuations to her mother about all of the stuff that really wasn't going on, her parents split up. Now eleventy years later, Nina has her sights set on revenge . . . but nothing really happens until like the very last page and then it's open ended and I was all . . . .
I hate feeling like I've been jipped when I'm finished reading. I don't mind open endings, I don't mind despicable characters or unreliable narrators. What I do mind is reading a chapter from one mealy-mouthed character's perspective and then reading the EXACT SAME SCENE from the other mealy-mouthed character's perspective only for nothing to ever happen (except me feeling like I wasted my entire evening) . . . .
If you really loved The Girl on the Train, then Her might work for you as well. On the other hand, if you're looking for an actual dark story that culminates over a vacation and is filled with truly horrifying characters, I recommend Summer House with Swimming Pool.
^^^That's me . . . well, you know, only less deliciously humpable.
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. THERE WILL ALSO BE .GIFS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED, SO DON'TCHA DARE COME HERE BITCHING ABOUT ME USING "VIDEO CLIPS" IN MY PERSONAL REVIEW SPACE!
What can I even say about Her? Maybe I should just let one of the MCs speak for me . . .
"I don't think I like these characters."
The problem is I didn't actively dislike them either. They were so "meh" I couldn't muster up much feeling for them at all. (If you actively follow my reviews, you'll know this is the second time in like two weeks this has happened to me and at this point Mitchell's getting angry!)
Alright, so the premise of the story is that Nina remembers Emma from waywayback. A chance encounter brings the two back together again and they develop a friendship. Or do they?!?!?!? DUN DUN DUNNNNNNN!
Yeah, this didn't work for me. I'm all for the slow roller, but seriously the entire reason this bitch Nina wants to friend poor unsuspecting Emma is to seek revenge because Nina's father might have looked at Emma as a hot piece of tail back when they were teenagers and because of Nina's big mouth and insinuations to her mother about all of the stuff that really wasn't going on, her parents split up. Now eleventy years later, Nina has her sights set on revenge . . . but nothing really happens until like the very last page and then it's open ended and I was all . . . .
I hate feeling like I've been jipped when I'm finished reading. I don't mind open endings, I don't mind despicable characters or unreliable narrators. What I do mind is reading a chapter from one mealy-mouthed character's perspective and then reading the EXACT SAME SCENE from the other mealy-mouthed character's perspective only for nothing to ever happen (except me feeling like I wasted my entire evening) . . . .
If you really loved The Girl on the Train, then Her might work for you as well. On the other hand, if you're looking for an actual dark story that culminates over a vacation and is filled with truly horrifying characters, I recommend Summer House with Swimming Pool.
January 16, 2016
I don't remember where I first heard about this book - maybe a People magazine blurb? - but it sounded intriguing so I ordered it from the library. I was excited when it came in, but I made the mistake of looking at the Goodreads reviews before I started it. Wow. A 2.9???? I don't think I have ever read a book rated that low on Goodreads. I was disappointed and put it aside for a while, but curiosity got the better of me and I picked it up again and gave it a shot - and am I glad I did! I loved it!
This was a cleverly crafted and beautifully written psychological study of two women, who tell their stories in alternating chapters over the course of a year or so. Emma is an overwhelmed mom with a toddler and an infant. She is faintly resentful of her husband and children and their domestic tyrannies, misses her career and feels she has lost herself. Nina is a composed and successful painter in a second marriage with a teen-aged daughter. It's made perfectly clear from page one that Nina knows and is in fact obsessed with Emma, but we don't know why. And Emma is drawn to Nina but clearly doesn’t know or remember her. What happened in the past that is driving Nina’s increasingly unhealthy preoccupation with Emma?
Better question – WHO CARES? This is where I see this book differently than many reviewers. I don’t see this as a thriller with an insufficient payoff at the end – I see this as a gripping study of two women who are unraveling in different but equally interesting ways. I couldn’t look away.
As for the end…..I’ve seen different and strange interpretations. All I can say is – if you’re not sure what happened there, carefully re-read the last chapters Nina and Emma narrate. It’s all there.
This is a book I’ll be thinking about for some time. A 4.5 for me.
This was a cleverly crafted and beautifully written psychological study of two women, who tell their stories in alternating chapters over the course of a year or so. Emma is an overwhelmed mom with a toddler and an infant. She is faintly resentful of her husband and children and their domestic tyrannies, misses her career and feels she has lost herself. Nina is a composed and successful painter in a second marriage with a teen-aged daughter. It's made perfectly clear from page one that Nina knows and is in fact obsessed with Emma, but we don't know why. And Emma is drawn to Nina but clearly doesn’t know or remember her. What happened in the past that is driving Nina’s increasingly unhealthy preoccupation with Emma?
Better question – WHO CARES? This is where I see this book differently than many reviewers. I don’t see this as a thriller with an insufficient payoff at the end – I see this as a gripping study of two women who are unraveling in different but equally interesting ways. I couldn’t look away.
As for the end…..I’ve seen different and strange interpretations. All I can say is – if you’re not sure what happened there, carefully re-read the last chapters Nina and Emma narrate. It’s all there.
This is a book I’ll be thinking about for some time. A 4.5 for me.
July 15, 2014
Got this as a Goodreads Giveaway. Here's my honest review. I was loving this book... until the 2 last chapters came along. They ruined the whole experience for me. The second to last chapter we finally discovered how Nina knew Emma. How come Emma doesn't remember Nina? and Nina's motive is just plain ridiculous. She didn't seem crazy in any other aspect of her life, so why is she so mad at Emma??? I just didn't get it. And the last chapter... What can I say... I hated the ending. And I usually like when the ending is not really an ending and you have to try and figure it out for yourself. But this one, it wasn't well done at all. Just left me frustrated. And people comparing it to Gone Girl... No, just no. This is not like Gone Girl at all.
December 14, 2017
Buggering Book-selling Blurbs
Most of the Novel Moves Like a Mini through Mississippi Mud Bottom
I fell for laudatory plugs for this novel from other authors, words I casually glanced over in the bookstore. This novel is the perfect exemplary of why I now distrust as patently biased nearly all flattery by other authors.
Until the last eighth of this short novel, the story moves like a Mini through a Mississippi mud bottom.
No doubt, this story is chilling, about a pair of friends, the first of whom secretly resents the latter (who doesn't even remember the first) for a reason that lurks somewhere near the corner of Petty Place and Ridiculous Road, out near Lunatic Fringe. This resentful basis isn't disclosed until its pathetic absurdity creepily seeps out in the last few pages of the novel.
QUERY
At what point does one of these other authors turn down a request to pen a gushy glossy to be used in another's book? Or, is it fair to say that if [author B's book] is good enough for [author A's publisher and/or agent], author A will plug author B and her book, no questions asked? If the latter, shouldn't readers be entitled to full disclosure? Don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing author-A's of outright falsehoods in these blurbs. But, for G's sake, these authors all write for a living, obviously, and know how to make even the negative sound positive; plus, I wouldn't doubt if publishers splice these blurbs for the sake of expedience. [Please pardon this soapbox moment]
P.S.
Whom should I see about getting back the several hours I wasted, induced by deceptive (even if accidentally so) book blurbs?
Most of the Novel Moves Like a Mini through Mississippi Mud Bottom
I fell for laudatory plugs for this novel from other authors, words I casually glanced over in the bookstore. This novel is the perfect exemplary of why I now distrust as patently biased nearly all flattery by other authors.
Until the last eighth of this short novel, the story moves like a Mini through a Mississippi mud bottom.
No doubt, this story is chilling, about a pair of friends, the first of whom secretly resents the latter (who doesn't even remember the first) for a reason that lurks somewhere near the corner of Petty Place and Ridiculous Road, out near Lunatic Fringe. This resentful basis isn't disclosed until its pathetic absurdity creepily seeps out in the last few pages of the novel.
QUERY
At what point does one of these other authors turn down a request to pen a gushy glossy to be used in another's book? Or, is it fair to say that if [author B's book] is good enough for [author A's publisher and/or agent], author A will plug author B and her book, no questions asked? If the latter, shouldn't readers be entitled to full disclosure? Don't get me wrong, I'm not accusing author-A's of outright falsehoods in these blurbs. But, for G's sake, these authors all write for a living, obviously, and know how to make even the negative sound positive; plus, I wouldn't doubt if publishers splice these blurbs for the sake of expedience. [Please pardon this soapbox moment]
P.S.
Whom should I see about getting back the several hours I wasted, induced by deceptive (even if accidentally so) book blurbs?
July 25, 2014
*I won a copy of this book through goodreads first reads.
What starts off as too mysterious to put down, but with characters too dull to care much about what happens to them quickly proves to want to be more mysterious than actually being mysterious. I'm sorry, but you can't just have one of your two narrators make vague references to something she knows, you don't, and the other narrator may or may not and expect that to count as making the entire plot a mystery. Even so, my rating was going to be a pretty solid two stars until literally the last page and a half, but that page and a half was absolutely infuriating. To the point, in fact, that if negative stars were an option, this book would get a few.
Things start out pretty tolerably, Nina sees Emma in the park one day and recognizes her from a brief acquaintance from ten-or-twenty-something years before. She then arranges a meeting through rather nefarious contrivances and proceeds to spend the rest of the book torturing Emma but always managing to spin it so she looks like she's Emma's new best friend. The reason for doing so turns out to be bad enough - This is essentially the story of a girl who heard something wrong whilst playing the telephone game and never grew up and got over it. I don't know what type of person would enjoy reading about a forty-year-old woman acting like a six-year-old, but it isn't me. And then the final page and a half REALLY goes to far.
Honestly, my opinion of this book can be summed up quite nicely in just a few adjectives: despicable. Disgusting. Awful. Vile. Unbelievable. Unenjoyable.
No redeeming qualities whatsoever. Not only do I regret wasting time reading this rag, this is one of those times where I'm actually angry at having been sucked in by such a deceptively interesting sounding blurb. But then, as Nina herself says toward the end "I found the final plot twist unsatisfying, as plot twists often are: nothing like life, which - it seems to me - turns less on shocks or theatrics than on the small quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook." (I will admit, that sentence is rather good, and very true . . . unfortunately it's the only thing worth reading out of nearly 250 pages.) The plot twist this time was not only unsatisfying, but ridiculous. The lengths Nina was willing to go to, even after discovering the smaller twist she was unaware of, is horrifying. And not in a good, I-just-read-a-creepy-thriller-so-let's-sleep-with-the-lights-on-tonight kind of way . . . but in the what-the-crap-is-wrong-with-that-author-that-they-can-come-up-with-such-messed-up-characters kind of way. (I've said it before on negative reviews, and I'll say it again: if I turn up missing or dead in a ditch sometime in the near future now you know where to start looking for the culprit.)
What starts off as too mysterious to put down, but with characters too dull to care much about what happens to them quickly proves to want to be more mysterious than actually being mysterious. I'm sorry, but you can't just have one of your two narrators make vague references to something she knows, you don't, and the other narrator may or may not and expect that to count as making the entire plot a mystery. Even so, my rating was going to be a pretty solid two stars until literally the last page and a half, but that page and a half was absolutely infuriating. To the point, in fact, that if negative stars were an option, this book would get a few.
Things start out pretty tolerably, Nina sees Emma in the park one day and recognizes her from a brief acquaintance from ten-or-twenty-something years before. She then arranges a meeting through rather nefarious contrivances and proceeds to spend the rest of the book torturing Emma but always managing to spin it so she looks like she's Emma's new best friend. The reason for doing so turns out to be bad enough - This is essentially the story of a girl who heard something wrong whilst playing the telephone game and never grew up and got over it. I don't know what type of person would enjoy reading about a forty-year-old woman acting like a six-year-old, but it isn't me. And then the final page and a half REALLY goes to far.
Honestly, my opinion of this book can be summed up quite nicely in just a few adjectives: despicable. Disgusting. Awful. Vile. Unbelievable. Unenjoyable.
No redeeming qualities whatsoever. Not only do I regret wasting time reading this rag, this is one of those times where I'm actually angry at having been sucked in by such a deceptively interesting sounding blurb. But then, as Nina herself says toward the end "I found the final plot twist unsatisfying, as plot twists often are: nothing like life, which - it seems to me - turns less on shocks or theatrics than on the small quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook." (I will admit, that sentence is rather good, and very true . . . unfortunately it's the only thing worth reading out of nearly 250 pages.) The plot twist this time was not only unsatisfying, but ridiculous. The lengths Nina was willing to go to, even after discovering the smaller twist she was unaware of, is horrifying. And not in a good, I-just-read-a-creepy-thriller-so-let's-sleep-with-the-lights-on-tonight kind of way . . . but in the what-the-crap-is-wrong-with-that-author-that-they-can-come-up-with-such-messed-up-characters kind of way. (I've said it before on negative reviews, and I'll say it again: if I turn up missing or dead in a ditch sometime in the near future now you know where to start looking for the culprit.)
July 13, 2015
I have never been one who has to have a tidy ending. Am all for leaving it out there for the reader to use his or her imagination as to how things shake out. However, this one slammed me with an "ending" that seems completely beyond the pale - to the point of not even belonging to the same story I just read.
On the other hand, the writing was good. '...handwriting that turns into spiders', a restless cat 'compelled by his own mysterious affairs'. Mind pictures of an exhausted mother, everyone pawing at her, plucking at her, always wanting something, needing something . . ., a complete loss of one's sense of well-being, the terrors of a small child. Written to perfection, I could almost feel the toddler's sticky fingers tugging at me.
Would like to rate it higher due to the writing, but can't bring myself to do it. I had a great deal of trouble buying off on the reason behind Nina's obsession with Emma, which is why the ending just doesn't work for me at all. In my opinion, it tainted the whole book, and that's a shame.
On the other hand, the writing was good. '...handwriting that turns into spiders', a restless cat 'compelled by his own mysterious affairs'. Mind pictures of an exhausted mother, everyone pawing at her, plucking at her, always wanting something, needing something . . ., a complete loss of one's sense of well-being, the terrors of a small child. Written to perfection, I could almost feel the toddler's sticky fingers tugging at me.
Would like to rate it higher due to the writing, but can't bring myself to do it. I had a great deal of trouble buying off on the reason behind Nina's obsession with Emma, which is why the ending just doesn't work for me at all. In my opinion, it tainted the whole book, and that's a shame.
March 13, 2024
Harriet Lane’s second novel “Her” is a horribly cruel, creepy little novel that leaves one with a sour aftertaste and a heart full of hatred and disgust for humanity. It is, nevertheless, an edge-of-the-seat page-turner and a sharp examination of the almost-invisible and subtle---yet vicious---misogyny that some women exhibit toward other women.
My wife calls it “Girl Code”. She acknowledges that most, if not all, men have no clue about its existence, and those that do are mentally incapable of breaking the code. I can’t speak for all men, but I can say, for me, she’s absolutely right. I was unaware of its existence until I married her, at which point she explained it to me, as best she could. It made complete sense, and it helped to explain a lifetime of utter confusion and lack of comprehension I had regarding female behavior and the complexities of relationships between women. Of course, I still don’t know what the fuck is actually being communicated when two women are speaking in girl code, and I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I never will, but I can now, at least, recognize when girl code is being used in front of me.
To explain, “Girl Code” is a secret language comprised almost entirely of non-verbal cues, deceptive statements, awkward silences, and passive-aggressive behavior that exists only between women. (Not that men can’t also be the brunt of girl code, but most men simply brush it off and chalk it up to “weird, fucked up chick” behavior, which tends to lose its intended sting. It is, according to my wife, almost always a “girl thing”.) It is almost always used in a negative way, to express anger, petty jealousy, displeasure, hatred, or, in extreme cases, revenge.
There have been many books written---most of them just within the past 20 years---that help to explain this silent aggression that exists between girls and women. It is essentially a form of bullying, only one that is, more often than not, hard to detect and indistinguishable from bullying, primarily because it does not manifest itself in the same way that traditional bullying plays out, which usually involves physical violence, blatant name-calling, and/or degradation. Female bullying utilizes girl code in different ways---silent treatment, emotional and mental violence, and public humiliation---to prove a point to another girl, one that has been targeted for whatever reason. Sometimes, there is no reason at all.
The phenomenon of female bullying is not new, but the acknowledgement of its existence is. Indeed, some psychologists still believe that it doesn’t exist, that what some call female bullying is simply normal female behavior, a school of thought that I personally find misogynistic in itself. It’s akin to saying that boys who are caught in a gang rape of a drunken college girl are simply “boys being boys”, as if that deplorable behavior is acceptable in any way.
There has been a recent spate of novels and films that depict this kind of awful behavior between women, most notably the novels of Gillian Flynn. In her book, “Sharp Objects”, she destroys the traditional notion that all women are naturally good mothers. That book plays out like “Mean Girls” if the mean girls were properly raised by a female Hannibal Lector.
Her best-selling novel “Gone Girl”, however, is an example of female bullying at its extreme. It exemplifies how far girl code can be taken. In that novel, the antiheroine’s dim-witted douchebag of a husband finds himself the direct victim of girl code. It is his inability to break the code, “read the signs”, or communicate with his wife at all that inevitably leads to his doom, but it is the antiheroine’s brilliant use of girl code that manipulates and deceives the general public to the point where she literally gets away with murder.
Lane’s novel “Her” isn’t nearly as twisty, elaborate, or violent as “Gone Girl”. Indeed, Lane’s British tea-party stylings are almost tepid in comparison to Flynn’s punk rock sensibilities, but, strangely enough, Lane is attempting to do something similar to Flynn in “Her”.
In “Her”, two women meet under unusual circumstances. They are both suburban housewives, but that is where their similarities end.
Emma is a harried stay-at-home mother of two young children, who secretly misses her days of working a boring 9-to-5 office job, hates herself for sometimes resenting her children, and struggles to pay bills and buy groceries on the measly income of her clueless, but sweet, husband.
Nina is an artist whose paintings bring in a steady stream of money to add to her husband’s rather large income, which enables them to live a wealthy lifestyle of fancy catered dinner parties and nights at the opera, and she has accepted her husband’s indifference and her teenaged daughter’s coldness, mainly because she doesn’t really care. She’s bored despite the fact that she seemingly has everything she wants or needs.
When they strike up an unlikely friendship, at first it seems based on a need for female companionship, a camaraderie borne out of motherhood and bored housewife syndrome.
Nina, however, has an ulterior motive, one that is unclear, perhaps even to herself. She recognizes Emma from her childhood. Whether she actually recognizes Emma, herself, or something in Emma that reminds her of another person doesn’t seem to matter. Things have been set in motion. Nina has some kind of wicked plan in mind, and Emma has no clue that Nina is being nice to her in order to butter her up for something.
Very little action happens in “Her”. Other than the very detailed description of the minutiae of housework and child-rearing, what Nina, at one point, calls “The tyranny of domesticity”---the boredom of sitting at home catching snatches of daytime soap operas and game shows when the children go down for naps, excursions to the grocery store and walks in the park, an occasional evening out, a failed dinner party, and a family vacation---most of the real action in the story is cerebral. It is in the inner monologues of the two women---one dreaming, the other scheming.
Despite the whole lot of nothing that actually happens in the book, there is something terrifying and riveting going on here, so much so that I had a hard time putting the book down. I wanted to finish it in one sitting, simply because I didn’t know what the fuck was going to happen, but things were definitely building to a head. When the ending does come, it is just as horrific and awful as I secretly came to expect and hoped wouldn’t.
About the ending: some may feel that it’s a cop-out ending, not a real ending at all, with no closure. Maybe. It’s frustrating, to be sure, and it’s horrible, but I wouldn’t call it a cop-out. It’s simply an ending that one could see coming early on and prayed that divine intervention would prevent.
I liked “Her”, but I hated it as well. I can’t really recommend the book, as I think it is truly horrible in the sense that a hurricane or a pandemic is horrible, but it does make me wonder how often shit like this goes on in the world, and in the minds of spiteful, misogynistic women.
My wife calls it “Girl Code”. She acknowledges that most, if not all, men have no clue about its existence, and those that do are mentally incapable of breaking the code. I can’t speak for all men, but I can say, for me, she’s absolutely right. I was unaware of its existence until I married her, at which point she explained it to me, as best she could. It made complete sense, and it helped to explain a lifetime of utter confusion and lack of comprehension I had regarding female behavior and the complexities of relationships between women. Of course, I still don’t know what the fuck is actually being communicated when two women are speaking in girl code, and I’ve pretty much accepted the fact that I never will, but I can now, at least, recognize when girl code is being used in front of me.
To explain, “Girl Code” is a secret language comprised almost entirely of non-verbal cues, deceptive statements, awkward silences, and passive-aggressive behavior that exists only between women. (Not that men can’t also be the brunt of girl code, but most men simply brush it off and chalk it up to “weird, fucked up chick” behavior, which tends to lose its intended sting. It is, according to my wife, almost always a “girl thing”.) It is almost always used in a negative way, to express anger, petty jealousy, displeasure, hatred, or, in extreme cases, revenge.
There have been many books written---most of them just within the past 20 years---that help to explain this silent aggression that exists between girls and women. It is essentially a form of bullying, only one that is, more often than not, hard to detect and indistinguishable from bullying, primarily because it does not manifest itself in the same way that traditional bullying plays out, which usually involves physical violence, blatant name-calling, and/or degradation. Female bullying utilizes girl code in different ways---silent treatment, emotional and mental violence, and public humiliation---to prove a point to another girl, one that has been targeted for whatever reason. Sometimes, there is no reason at all.
The phenomenon of female bullying is not new, but the acknowledgement of its existence is. Indeed, some psychologists still believe that it doesn’t exist, that what some call female bullying is simply normal female behavior, a school of thought that I personally find misogynistic in itself. It’s akin to saying that boys who are caught in a gang rape of a drunken college girl are simply “boys being boys”, as if that deplorable behavior is acceptable in any way.
There has been a recent spate of novels and films that depict this kind of awful behavior between women, most notably the novels of Gillian Flynn. In her book, “Sharp Objects”, she destroys the traditional notion that all women are naturally good mothers. That book plays out like “Mean Girls” if the mean girls were properly raised by a female Hannibal Lector.
Her best-selling novel “Gone Girl”, however, is an example of female bullying at its extreme. It exemplifies how far girl code can be taken. In that novel, the antiheroine’s dim-witted douchebag of a husband finds himself the direct victim of girl code. It is his inability to break the code, “read the signs”, or communicate with his wife at all that inevitably leads to his doom, but it is the antiheroine’s brilliant use of girl code that manipulates and deceives the general public to the point where she literally gets away with murder.
Lane’s novel “Her” isn’t nearly as twisty, elaborate, or violent as “Gone Girl”. Indeed, Lane’s British tea-party stylings are almost tepid in comparison to Flynn’s punk rock sensibilities, but, strangely enough, Lane is attempting to do something similar to Flynn in “Her”.
In “Her”, two women meet under unusual circumstances. They are both suburban housewives, but that is where their similarities end.
Emma is a harried stay-at-home mother of two young children, who secretly misses her days of working a boring 9-to-5 office job, hates herself for sometimes resenting her children, and struggles to pay bills and buy groceries on the measly income of her clueless, but sweet, husband.
Nina is an artist whose paintings bring in a steady stream of money to add to her husband’s rather large income, which enables them to live a wealthy lifestyle of fancy catered dinner parties and nights at the opera, and she has accepted her husband’s indifference and her teenaged daughter’s coldness, mainly because she doesn’t really care. She’s bored despite the fact that she seemingly has everything she wants or needs.
When they strike up an unlikely friendship, at first it seems based on a need for female companionship, a camaraderie borne out of motherhood and bored housewife syndrome.
Nina, however, has an ulterior motive, one that is unclear, perhaps even to herself. She recognizes Emma from her childhood. Whether she actually recognizes Emma, herself, or something in Emma that reminds her of another person doesn’t seem to matter. Things have been set in motion. Nina has some kind of wicked plan in mind, and Emma has no clue that Nina is being nice to her in order to butter her up for something.
Very little action happens in “Her”. Other than the very detailed description of the minutiae of housework and child-rearing, what Nina, at one point, calls “The tyranny of domesticity”---the boredom of sitting at home catching snatches of daytime soap operas and game shows when the children go down for naps, excursions to the grocery store and walks in the park, an occasional evening out, a failed dinner party, and a family vacation---most of the real action in the story is cerebral. It is in the inner monologues of the two women---one dreaming, the other scheming.
Despite the whole lot of nothing that actually happens in the book, there is something terrifying and riveting going on here, so much so that I had a hard time putting the book down. I wanted to finish it in one sitting, simply because I didn’t know what the fuck was going to happen, but things were definitely building to a head. When the ending does come, it is just as horrific and awful as I secretly came to expect and hoped wouldn’t.
About the ending: some may feel that it’s a cop-out ending, not a real ending at all, with no closure. Maybe. It’s frustrating, to be sure, and it’s horrible, but I wouldn’t call it a cop-out. It’s simply an ending that one could see coming early on and prayed that divine intervention would prevent.
I liked “Her”, but I hated it as well. I can’t really recommend the book, as I think it is truly horrible in the sense that a hurricane or a pandemic is horrible, but it does make me wonder how often shit like this goes on in the world, and in the minds of spiteful, misogynistic women.
June 29, 2014
An absolutely brilliant psychological thriller this one – and also an INCREDIBLY difficult review to write without spoilers. Which in itself should tell you just how good it is.
When Nina catches a glimpse of Emma on the street, she is overwhelmed by memories – of what and when we are not sure. As she insinuates herself into Emma’s life, Emma has no clue who she is…but Nina wants something from Emma…but even Nina herself is unsure of what that might be.
This is possibly one of the most intelligently constructed novels I have read this year – as we jump between Nina and Emma, seeing the same events from different angles and appearances, it is absolutely fascinating, hard to put aside, and completely compelling. Emma is gorgeously well drawn, she could be any one of us and Nina is deeply complex and utterly riveting. Her casual cruelty is stunning in its simplicity and Emma’s complete and utter oblivion will make you draw sharp breaths as you read…
Oh gosh, well, I can’t really say much more – the relationship between the women is captivating, the peripheral characters surrounding them are shrewdly imbedded into the plot and the reason behind Nina’s obsession when it becomes apparent is extraordinarily random. Brilliant brilliant writing.
One more thing I HAVE to say – that ending, oh my word that ending. It will haunt me for a long long time. Incredible.
Don’t miss this one!
Happy Reading Folks!
When Nina catches a glimpse of Emma on the street, she is overwhelmed by memories – of what and when we are not sure. As she insinuates herself into Emma’s life, Emma has no clue who she is…but Nina wants something from Emma…but even Nina herself is unsure of what that might be.
This is possibly one of the most intelligently constructed novels I have read this year – as we jump between Nina and Emma, seeing the same events from different angles and appearances, it is absolutely fascinating, hard to put aside, and completely compelling. Emma is gorgeously well drawn, she could be any one of us and Nina is deeply complex and utterly riveting. Her casual cruelty is stunning in its simplicity and Emma’s complete and utter oblivion will make you draw sharp breaths as you read…
Oh gosh, well, I can’t really say much more – the relationship between the women is captivating, the peripheral characters surrounding them are shrewdly imbedded into the plot and the reason behind Nina’s obsession when it becomes apparent is extraordinarily random. Brilliant brilliant writing.
One more thing I HAVE to say – that ending, oh my word that ending. It will haunt me for a long long time. Incredible.
Don’t miss this one!
Happy Reading Folks!
July 15, 2014
I definitely didn't love it... It had me on edge the whole time and when I finally reached the last page.. it did not compensate for all the time I spent reading the book. I was hoping for more but the plot was so vague. Don't want to spoil the book for anyone... but I just felt like telling Nina.. GET OVER IT!!! Definitely something is wrong in both these women's heads.
June 19, 2019
Huh! That was...different.
A three star book is not one I am recommending. It’s better than okay but I’m not suggesting anyone read it as there are so many great books to read instead. With that said, this did hold my interest and managed to ratchet up the tension despite relatively little going on, but the explanation and “ending” didn’t live up to the rest of the book for me. 3 stars
A three star book is not one I am recommending. It’s better than okay but I’m not suggesting anyone read it as there are so many great books to read instead. With that said, this did hold my interest and managed to ratchet up the tension despite relatively little going on, but the explanation and “ending” didn’t live up to the rest of the book for me. 3 stars
July 8, 2014
Wheee, my first Goodreads giveaway win in forever!
I didn't enjoy Her as much as Harriet Lane's previous novel, Alys Always, but it's clear after reading both in a short span of time that she is becoming the master of very quiet thrillers that creep up on you. In fact, I'm hesitant to even officially call either of them thrillers due to their subtlety, but Her especially has such an underlying feel of menace that it just has to fall into the category.
Instead of the marriage dramas that have been popping up everywhere since Gone Girl exploded, Lane tackles female friendship. Nina, a chic, poised, and fairly successful painter with an older husband and a mystifying teenaged daughter, has turned the lack of confidence she suffered in her early years into a quiet self-possession, appearing calm, cool and collected at all times. Emma is a harried new mother, struggling to keep herself together and stifled by domesticity with a toddler and a newborn, and a kind but slightly clueless husband. Nina spots Emma randomly on the street one day and it's obvious that she recognizes her, but the specifics are not explained - it's soon revealed that Emma has no idea who Nina is, and Nina goes to great lengths (including a few particularly nefarious schemes) to insinuate herself into Nina's life. Nina is drawn to Emma, but at the same time is determined to avenge something from their shared past.
Some reviewers have noted that they were irritated by the narrative style, which alternates between Nina and Emma's point of view and therefore is constantly rehashing the same events, but I found it fascinating. What seems like a totally normal or random occurrence on Emma's end is re-told in Nina's perspective and changes completely, into something manipulated and sinister.
Lane also makes some very interesting choices in terms of the story - the "twist" is really nothing huge or shocking, a parallel to a discussion Nina has about a plot twist in a drugstore novel, and how reality operates "less on shocks or theatrics than on the small, quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook." The ending is also completely open-ended and all the more chilling for it. All in all, Her is a kind of funny little book - I whipped through it pretty quickly as it's very compact, and I enjoyed it without being overly impressed, but when I was finished it I thought about it for some time after and realized how much more affecting it was than I had realized.
I didn't enjoy Her as much as Harriet Lane's previous novel, Alys Always, but it's clear after reading both in a short span of time that she is becoming the master of very quiet thrillers that creep up on you. In fact, I'm hesitant to even officially call either of them thrillers due to their subtlety, but Her especially has such an underlying feel of menace that it just has to fall into the category.
Instead of the marriage dramas that have been popping up everywhere since Gone Girl exploded, Lane tackles female friendship. Nina, a chic, poised, and fairly successful painter with an older husband and a mystifying teenaged daughter, has turned the lack of confidence she suffered in her early years into a quiet self-possession, appearing calm, cool and collected at all times. Emma is a harried new mother, struggling to keep herself together and stifled by domesticity with a toddler and a newborn, and a kind but slightly clueless husband. Nina spots Emma randomly on the street one day and it's obvious that she recognizes her, but the specifics are not explained - it's soon revealed that Emma has no idea who Nina is, and Nina goes to great lengths (including a few particularly nefarious schemes) to insinuate herself into Nina's life. Nina is drawn to Emma, but at the same time is determined to avenge something from their shared past.
Some reviewers have noted that they were irritated by the narrative style, which alternates between Nina and Emma's point of view and therefore is constantly rehashing the same events, but I found it fascinating. What seems like a totally normal or random occurrence on Emma's end is re-told in Nina's perspective and changes completely, into something manipulated and sinister.
Lane also makes some very interesting choices in terms of the story - the "twist" is really nothing huge or shocking, a parallel to a discussion Nina has about a plot twist in a drugstore novel, and how reality operates "less on shocks or theatrics than on the small, quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook." The ending is also completely open-ended and all the more chilling for it. All in all, Her is a kind of funny little book - I whipped through it pretty quickly as it's very compact, and I enjoyed it without being overly impressed, but when I was finished it I thought about it for some time after and realized how much more affecting it was than I had realized.
April 30, 2014
This intriguing and well-constructed thriller starts when Nina recognises Emma on a street near her London home more than twenty years since she last saw her. As the reader you can’t help but wonder why Nina is so obsessed with Emma especially as Emma doesn’t appear to recognise her at all when they first meet. What connects these two women and why Nina wants to insert herself into her life is the crux of the whole book.
We have Nina and her poised life as an artist, mother of the teenage Sophie and partner to the almost detached Charles provides a stark contrast with Emma the mother of two-year old Christopher mired in domesticity wondering where her ‘true’ self has gone since marriage and motherhood. Emma is clearly overwhelmed, pregnant and frazzled when Nina inserts herself into her life and with precision finds the weak spots in Emma’s life and exploits them with precise cruelty. The casual way she hurts Emma while pretending to be her friend is in many ways more shocking than any open hostility could ever be.
Harriet Lane cleverly tells the story from both women’s viewpoints by overlapping the narrative thereby dragging the story back to a specific point before moving it forward from the differing perspectives as Nina and Emma narrate alternate chapters.
The writing is understated and all the more chilling because of it but the prose still manages to conjure up scenes in London and France without ever seeming mired in detail.
This is a relatively short book with 235 pages of intrigue, frankly bizarre behaviour and undisclosed secrets from the past, well until the end which says just enough to allow the reader time to reflect. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in return for my honest opinion.
We have Nina and her poised life as an artist, mother of the teenage Sophie and partner to the almost detached Charles provides a stark contrast with Emma the mother of two-year old Christopher mired in domesticity wondering where her ‘true’ self has gone since marriage and motherhood. Emma is clearly overwhelmed, pregnant and frazzled when Nina inserts herself into her life and with precision finds the weak spots in Emma’s life and exploits them with precise cruelty. The casual way she hurts Emma while pretending to be her friend is in many ways more shocking than any open hostility could ever be.
Harriet Lane cleverly tells the story from both women’s viewpoints by overlapping the narrative thereby dragging the story back to a specific point before moving it forward from the differing perspectives as Nina and Emma narrate alternate chapters.
The writing is understated and all the more chilling because of it but the prose still manages to conjure up scenes in London and France without ever seeming mired in detail.
This is a relatively short book with 235 pages of intrigue, frankly bizarre behaviour and undisclosed secrets from the past, well until the end which says just enough to allow the reader time to reflect. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in return for my honest opinion.
September 6, 2015
Hmmm.
This book was beautifully written and masterfully creepy. Quietly terrifying -- it reminds me a lot of Rebecca in that respect. Gorgeous prose. A strong premise. A swift read.
I have to give it a full three stars for all of that.
The ending, however, was a huge disappointment to me. It's not just the ambiguity, though I'm human enough to be annoyed by that aspect of it. It's the abruptness. It felt rushed. It also felt utterly unrelated to the rest of the story. What I could understand I just didn't buy. What I was left to guess didn't terrify me the way it should have because it didn't ring true.
I feel very let down, because Harriet Lane is a brilliant writer and Her shines a merciless light on marriage and motherhood. It starts as a top-notch psychological thriller and then goes to pieces literally in the last two pages.
I still want to read Lane's previous novel, Alys, Always. Her writing is beautiful, and I'm in the mood for more even if this ending felt like a bit of a cheat.
This book was beautifully written and masterfully creepy. Quietly terrifying -- it reminds me a lot of Rebecca in that respect. Gorgeous prose. A strong premise. A swift read.
I have to give it a full three stars for all of that.
The ending, however, was a huge disappointment to me. It's not just the ambiguity, though I'm human enough to be annoyed by that aspect of it. It's the abruptness. It felt rushed. It also felt utterly unrelated to the rest of the story. What I could understand I just didn't buy. What I was left to guess didn't terrify me the way it should have because it didn't ring true.
I feel very let down, because Harriet Lane is a brilliant writer and Her shines a merciless light on marriage and motherhood. It starts as a top-notch psychological thriller and then goes to pieces literally in the last two pages.
I still want to read Lane's previous novel, Alys, Always. Her writing is beautiful, and I'm in the mood for more even if this ending felt like a bit of a cheat.
February 13, 2015
Hated this book. It was well-written, but the plot was just ridiculous. Nina harbors a secret, obsessive hatred for Emma and when she meets her again after many years she begins a plot of subtle revenge. We don't find out until late in the book WHY Nina hates Emma. It is then obvious why Emma does not even remember Nina. There is absolutely no reason Nina would hate Emma and no reason to suspect that Nina is actually crazy, which she would have to be to blow up this non-event into a reason for a campaign of revenge against Emma some 15 or 20 years later. But the worst thing by far is the ending. I actually was convinced that my kindle download must have stopped in error before downloading the entire book because I thought there is no way the author chose to end the book right there.
March 20, 2018
I have no idea if this was extremely clever or merely underwhelming...
I can see both why this has garnered so much love and why I have also seen so many negative reviews. This is an extremely quiet thriller. There is a suspenseful story-line that meanders through this split-perspective story. There are no scenes of extreme excitement or high-stakes action. There is interest created, as to why the characters are behaving as they currently are, but the intrigue never reaches heart-palpitating levels. And instead of steadily rising to this point, the ending remains almost as quiet as the bulk of it.
I initially closed this feeling a little cheated from my desired, dramatic ending, but then one particular quite kept replaying in my mind. This quote concerned a thriller novel, one of the characters was reading:
"I found the final plot twist unsatisfying, as plot twists often are: nothing like life, which - it seems to me - turns less on shock or theatrics than on the small quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook."
Could Lane's quote be cunningly referring to her own book??
I have a feeling she has constructed something entirely new, in the thriller genre. Newer releases tend to have to provide an ever increasing amount of shock-factor to compete with its peers. This novel takes a step back and, instead, provides us with a slice of reality. There is still intrigue, but it is at a believable level, and it also creates the shocking conclusion that this could very easily happen in the reader's own life. It may even be happening right now...
I am still not entirely sure how I feel about this novel, weeks after I have read it, but my thoughts continuously cycle to all the possibilities, proposed here. I have to give this book credit for doing what others thrillers often fail to do for me, no matter my enjoyment during my initial reading - retaining memorability.
I can see both why this has garnered so much love and why I have also seen so many negative reviews. This is an extremely quiet thriller. There is a suspenseful story-line that meanders through this split-perspective story. There are no scenes of extreme excitement or high-stakes action. There is interest created, as to why the characters are behaving as they currently are, but the intrigue never reaches heart-palpitating levels. And instead of steadily rising to this point, the ending remains almost as quiet as the bulk of it.
I initially closed this feeling a little cheated from my desired, dramatic ending, but then one particular quite kept replaying in my mind. This quote concerned a thriller novel, one of the characters was reading:
"I found the final plot twist unsatisfying, as plot twists often are: nothing like life, which - it seems to me - turns less on shock or theatrics than on the small quiet moments, misunderstandings or disappointments, the things that it's easy to overlook."
Could Lane's quote be cunningly referring to her own book??
I have a feeling she has constructed something entirely new, in the thriller genre. Newer releases tend to have to provide an ever increasing amount of shock-factor to compete with its peers. This novel takes a step back and, instead, provides us with a slice of reality. There is still intrigue, but it is at a believable level, and it also creates the shocking conclusion that this could very easily happen in the reader's own life. It may even be happening right now...
I am still not entirely sure how I feel about this novel, weeks after I have read it, but my thoughts continuously cycle to all the possibilities, proposed here. I have to give this book credit for doing what others thrillers often fail to do for me, no matter my enjoyment during my initial reading - retaining memorability.
April 8, 2015
3.5 Stars: Written from two woman’s perspective, it’s a story of an odd friendship between Nina and Emma. From the beginning, Nina’s story allows the reader to know that Emma has a history with Nina. Emma does not recognize Nina, nor does she seem to have any memory of Nina in her life.
Nina begins a friendship with Emma, and the reader is on high alert because we see what Nina is finagling. Emma is drawn to Nina because Nina is everything Emma wishes she herself could be. Through Emma’s perspective, the reader sees the innocence of Emma.
It’s a creepy story(Gone Girl sort of creepy). Each character is well developed and the reader is emotionally invested in the story. The reader is rewarded with discovering the source of Nina’s attraction to Emma. The story is a well-paced suspense. I recommend it to those readers who enjoy a suspenseful, chilling novel. It’s realistic fiction, which makes it so terrifying.
Nina begins a friendship with Emma, and the reader is on high alert because we see what Nina is finagling. Emma is drawn to Nina because Nina is everything Emma wishes she herself could be. Through Emma’s perspective, the reader sees the innocence of Emma.
It’s a creepy story(Gone Girl sort of creepy). Each character is well developed and the reader is emotionally invested in the story. The reader is rewarded with discovering the source of Nina’s attraction to Emma. The story is a well-paced suspense. I recommend it to those readers who enjoy a suspenseful, chilling novel. It’s realistic fiction, which makes it so terrifying.
March 3, 2015
this reads as revenge noir. it has moments of brilliance (oh, but the apprehension!) but then is followed by tedious blah, blah, blah. and suddenly it is chilling and sinister. and then more blah, blah, blah. the parts about being a new mom and the adjustment one goes through are spot-on. overall though this was an unsatisfying read. the ending will make most want to scream. so consider yourself warned.
March 12, 2015
Holy crap, what a perfect ending! I really loved this book. The glimpse into Emma's claustrophobic motherhood was like seeing a foreign (and terrifying!) world. (I always think of myself more aligned with the maternal instincts of Carol from the Walking Dead.) And Nina was a perfect creepy balance. She reminded me of everything awful about being a teenage girl. Highly recommended!
July 14, 2015
This one requires some thought before rating...
Update:
Her was a haunting story of obsession. The story is based on the two main characters, Nina and Emma, having an encounter in which Nina recalls an incident from the past and “befriends” Emma, in deceitful and disturbing ways. All the while Emma is clueless of their past together...
Some fans of psychological thrillers and dark character studies may love this. I loved the writing, loved how creepy it was with the subtle details, and how slowly the suspense was built. It seemed very realistic, and the author did a great job of getting into the main characters' heads regarding their thoughts on mothering, even though some of their thoughts were unsettling. It did not seem possible that I could be so completely engrossed in a book right up until the very last words, thinking 5 stars all the way, wondering how the ratings could possibly be so low, then BAM! That ending!! Mild spoiler alert:
Update:
Her was a haunting story of obsession. The story is based on the two main characters, Nina and Emma, having an encounter in which Nina recalls an incident from the past and “befriends” Emma, in deceitful and disturbing ways. All the while Emma is clueless of their past together...
Some fans of psychological thrillers and dark character studies may love this. I loved the writing, loved how creepy it was with the subtle details, and how slowly the suspense was built. It seemed very realistic, and the author did a great job of getting into the main characters' heads regarding their thoughts on mothering, even though some of their thoughts were unsettling. It did not seem possible that I could be so completely engrossed in a book right up until the very last words, thinking 5 stars all the way, wondering how the ratings could possibly be so low, then BAM! That ending!! Mild spoiler alert:
September 7, 2020
Wow. This was not good. I am also annoyed I found it on a book list saying this was a dark thriller taking place in London. I guess to me thriller means there is some mystery about what is going on. Also to the critics who compared this to "Gone Girl" and "Girl on a Train" how? I loved "Gone Girl" and thought "Girl on a Train" was ridiculous to be believed and guessed what was going on around the 50 percent mark. This book doesn't even have anything interesting going for it and then there's that BS ending that had every reviewer howling. This will probably go down as one of my worst reads in 2020.
"Her" follows two women, Emma (now a stay at home mom) and Nina (a somewhat respectable artist). Nina spies Emma one day and we don't know what is going on, but we realize that Nina hates Emma and that they have a "past." What makes things curious though is that after Emma arranges things to make sure she can see Emma's life up close and personal, Emma doesn't recognize her at all. The whole book shows Emma and Nina with Emma giving her perspective and then Nina giving you the same damn perspective of things from her POV.
First off, I loathed Nina. When you find out why she hates Emma so much and is focused on mentally torturing her you are going to go, oh so Nina is "not all there." Seriously. It takes almost to the end of the book for readers to find out why Nina hates Emma and is doing crap that involves harming her kids in cases and you would think that hey maybe this character has a reason for this. Maybe. Well guess what, she doesn't.
I felt bad for Emma. She's a little lost now that she is at home with her 2 year old son and is pregnant with her second kid. And of course after that birth she feels overwhelmed all over again.
The other characters feel very flat. We have Nina's daughter (who seems to hate her....and honestly who wouldn't?) her husband who barely feels like he is in the story, her mom and dad. And that's the other thing. When we find out why Nina is so obsessed with Emma you would think that would mean that she was a certain way towards her parents. Nope. She can't really seem to stand them. If anything Nina doesn't seem to care about people other than her daughter and wonders why they are not close anymore and scared her daughter is going to do something.
The writing was stilted. We don't need both characters points of view. If anything, the book should have been told from Emma's POV and maybe you do the final chapter from Nina's POV revealing all. The flow was bad too. This book just felt endless to me and I kept checking my Kindle to see if I was done yet. I was not.
The setting of this type of London didn't feel dark and scary to me. Maybe because most of the action takes place in both women's homes. Though Emma's home is messy and cluttered and not fixed up the way she wants it, it feels more like a home. Nina's feels like a mausoleum. The book switches the final setting up when Nina invites Emma and her family to her family's vacation home. Yeah...just think through what happens next. Or don't cause the author did a BS ending.
The ending was terrible. I don't even get what Harriet Lane was doing. She just reveals why Nina is obsessed with Emma the section before so you really just go okay and you feel deflated. And then we have Nina upping the stakes again.
I read this for "Darkest London" square.
"Her" follows two women, Emma (now a stay at home mom) and Nina (a somewhat respectable artist). Nina spies Emma one day and we don't know what is going on, but we realize that Nina hates Emma and that they have a "past." What makes things curious though is that after Emma arranges things to make sure she can see Emma's life up close and personal, Emma doesn't recognize her at all. The whole book shows Emma and Nina with Emma giving her perspective and then Nina giving you the same damn perspective of things from her POV.
First off, I loathed Nina. When you find out why she hates Emma so much and is focused on mentally torturing her you are going to go, oh so Nina is "not all there." Seriously. It takes almost to the end of the book for readers to find out why Nina hates Emma and is doing crap that involves harming her kids in cases and you would think that hey maybe this character has a reason for this. Maybe. Well guess what, she doesn't.
I felt bad for Emma. She's a little lost now that she is at home with her 2 year old son and is pregnant with her second kid. And of course after that birth she feels overwhelmed all over again.
The other characters feel very flat. We have Nina's daughter (who seems to hate her....and honestly who wouldn't?) her husband who barely feels like he is in the story, her mom and dad. And that's the other thing. When we find out why Nina is so obsessed with Emma you would think that would mean that she was a certain way towards her parents. Nope. She can't really seem to stand them. If anything Nina doesn't seem to care about people other than her daughter and wonders why they are not close anymore and scared her daughter is going to do something.
The writing was stilted. We don't need both characters points of view. If anything, the book should have been told from Emma's POV and maybe you do the final chapter from Nina's POV revealing all. The flow was bad too. This book just felt endless to me and I kept checking my Kindle to see if I was done yet. I was not.
The setting of this type of London didn't feel dark and scary to me. Maybe because most of the action takes place in both women's homes. Though Emma's home is messy and cluttered and not fixed up the way she wants it, it feels more like a home. Nina's feels like a mausoleum. The book switches the final setting up when Nina invites Emma and her family to her family's vacation home. Yeah...just think through what happens next. Or don't cause the author did a BS ending.
The ending was terrible. I don't even get what Harriet Lane was doing. She just reveals why Nina is obsessed with Emma the section before so you really just go okay and you feel deflated. And then we have Nina upping the stakes again.
I read this for "Darkest London" square.
February 19, 2017
Do not read this book.
If you started to read this book, then do not finish it. You might think you should finish it because the writing is sometimes lovely, if slow. You might assume that all that slowness will build up to something, that somebody with such nice prose would never attempt to write a thriller that seems to only address the minutiae of everyday life. You might also assume that since the author made the choice to show us nearly every scene twice (same dialogue, often the same details), she would never end the book without some sort of satisfying moment, some instance that makes all the repetition and slowness and dangling of a just-interesting-enough mysterious past worth it. You will endure so much, trusting the author that she knows what she's doing, that this is calculated and it will pay off. But there is no pay-off. Her ends at the beginning of the climax.
So do not read this book. And if you have started to read this book, just stop, because the random ending you happen upon will be just as satisfying as the actual one.
If you started to read this book, then do not finish it. You might think you should finish it because the writing is sometimes lovely, if slow. You might assume that all that slowness will build up to something, that somebody with such nice prose would never attempt to write a thriller that seems to only address the minutiae of everyday life. You might also assume that since the author made the choice to show us nearly every scene twice (same dialogue, often the same details), she would never end the book without some sort of satisfying moment, some instance that makes all the repetition and slowness and dangling of a just-interesting-enough mysterious past worth it. You will endure so much, trusting the author that she knows what she's doing, that this is calculated and it will pay off. But there is no pay-off. Her ends at the beginning of the climax.
So do not read this book. And if you have started to read this book, just stop, because the random ending you happen upon will be just as satisfying as the actual one.
June 28, 2014
Harriet Lane’s second novel – like her first – is clever, subtle, cool and compelling.
it tells the story of Emma and Nina, two women of the same age who are near-neighbours in north London.
Nina is a successful artist, and she lives with her older husband and with Sophie, the 17-year-old daughter of an early, failed marriage. She is independent – her husband’s successful career as an architect means that he is often away – she is poised, and she enjoys the fruits of her success.
Emma is the stay-at-home mother of a toddler and a newborn baby. It wasn’t practical for her to pick up the threads of her freelance career. They were a happy family, but sometimes Emma missed the woman she used to be.
When they crossed paths Nina recognised Emma, from years ago, but Emma didn’t recognise Nina.
Nina found and returns the purse that Emma apparently lost during a trip to the shops, and then there was another occasion for her to step in, with charm and diplomacy, to save the day. And another.
Emma was so pleased to have such a friend, a friend who understood what she was had to cope with from day to day, and a friend who understood that she was more than a wife and mother. But she didn’t see how very brittle Nina was, and she didn’t know that her overtures of friendship were the first step towards revenge for something that happened years ago.
The narration is shared between Nina and Alice, often – but not always – having each tell the same story. That shows so clearly that they see the same things very differently, and that there are many things that Emma doesn’t see, that Emma misinterprets. It isn’t that she’s a fool; there is nothing at all to suggest that Nina’s motivations are anything less that straightforward.
Harriet Lane writes beautifully, catching the details of two women’s lives, making her story utterly compelling, and steadily increasing the tension.
It was so easy to feel for Emma. Her situation – she loved her husband, he loved her, they both loved their children, but she was losing herself as she played her role and struggled with the volume of work that involved, so often running to stand still – was so very well observed, and so very believable. And she was so vulnerable, bit she didn’t know, there was no way she could have known.
When Nina’s motivations became clearer I questioned whether her revenge was disproportionate to her grievance. But maybe she was even more fragile that she thought, maybe she traced a great deal back to Emma all those years ago, maybe she got a little too caught up with her scheme ….
I had doubts, but I decided I could live with them.
I could understand that she was troubled and why she was troubled, but I’m inclined to think that even in other circumstances she would have been too cool, too composed, for me to feel much empathy.
The tension grew as the end of the story drew nearer.
The denouement was mundane, the writing was understated but the consequences were clear.
I caught my breath.
The story had been so clever, so quietly compelling, so horribly believable, and now it was over.
it tells the story of Emma and Nina, two women of the same age who are near-neighbours in north London.
Nina is a successful artist, and she lives with her older husband and with Sophie, the 17-year-old daughter of an early, failed marriage. She is independent – her husband’s successful career as an architect means that he is often away – she is poised, and she enjoys the fruits of her success.
Emma is the stay-at-home mother of a toddler and a newborn baby. It wasn’t practical for her to pick up the threads of her freelance career. They were a happy family, but sometimes Emma missed the woman she used to be.
When they crossed paths Nina recognised Emma, from years ago, but Emma didn’t recognise Nina.
Nina found and returns the purse that Emma apparently lost during a trip to the shops, and then there was another occasion for her to step in, with charm and diplomacy, to save the day. And another.
Emma was so pleased to have such a friend, a friend who understood what she was had to cope with from day to day, and a friend who understood that she was more than a wife and mother. But she didn’t see how very brittle Nina was, and she didn’t know that her overtures of friendship were the first step towards revenge for something that happened years ago.
The narration is shared between Nina and Alice, often – but not always – having each tell the same story. That shows so clearly that they see the same things very differently, and that there are many things that Emma doesn’t see, that Emma misinterprets. It isn’t that she’s a fool; there is nothing at all to suggest that Nina’s motivations are anything less that straightforward.
Harriet Lane writes beautifully, catching the details of two women’s lives, making her story utterly compelling, and steadily increasing the tension.
It was so easy to feel for Emma. Her situation – she loved her husband, he loved her, they both loved their children, but she was losing herself as she played her role and struggled with the volume of work that involved, so often running to stand still – was so very well observed, and so very believable. And she was so vulnerable, bit she didn’t know, there was no way she could have known.
When Nina’s motivations became clearer I questioned whether her revenge was disproportionate to her grievance. But maybe she was even more fragile that she thought, maybe she traced a great deal back to Emma all those years ago, maybe she got a little too caught up with her scheme ….
I had doubts, but I decided I could live with them.
I could understand that she was troubled and why she was troubled, but I’m inclined to think that even in other circumstances she would have been too cool, too composed, for me to feel much empathy.
The tension grew as the end of the story drew nearer.
The denouement was mundane, the writing was understated but the consequences were clear.
I caught my breath.
The story had been so clever, so quietly compelling, so horribly believable, and now it was over.
April 17, 2015
*3.5 stars
I think reviewing this book is hard to put into words. I haven't read Harriet Lane before so I had no expectations going into reading this. It's a psychological suspense between two women that kept me turning the pages. I liked how it was written: told by two alternating pov's by Emma and Nina. I liked "seeing" how both sides of the story were told. Yes, because of this most points of the story were re-hashed but it made you see their story differently. I can definitely see why a lot of people might find this book boring but, personally, I liked the slow build of suspense that I felt while reading & it made me want to continue to see how it all played out.
I think reviewing this book is hard to put into words. I haven't read Harriet Lane before so I had no expectations going into reading this. It's a psychological suspense between two women that kept me turning the pages. I liked how it was written: told by two alternating pov's by Emma and Nina. I liked "seeing" how both sides of the story were told. Yes, because of this most points of the story were re-hashed but it made you see their story differently. I can definitely see why a lot of people might find this book boring but, personally, I liked the slow build of suspense that I felt while reading & it made me want to continue to see how it all played out.
December 11, 2014
What if the accidents of everyday life as a mother of young children aren't just accidents?
As soon as Nina spies Emma, you know something happened between these two very different women sometime in the distant past, but what was it? Nina knows, but isn't telling. Emma doesn't even recognize Nina. In alternating, overlapping chapters that relate different events from each woman's perspective, you watch as the two form a tenuous and unexpected relationship though it is absolutely clear that while Emma sees Nina as a friend, Nina is looking for revenge. For what? Harriet Lane builds tension by taking her time in revealing what is behind Nina's vendetta. Once the reader knows all, the stakes are even higher as you hope Emma will put the pieces together in time.
'Her' is a fabulously written work of psychological suspense that relies on restraint rather than excess to build fear and makes you question how well you know anybody. There is no huge reveal and the horror is in realizing it is Nina's distortion of reality that is behind her mounting efforts for revenge.
As I said when I first finished reading this, it made my blood run cold.
As soon as Nina spies Emma, you know something happened between these two very different women sometime in the distant past, but what was it? Nina knows, but isn't telling. Emma doesn't even recognize Nina. In alternating, overlapping chapters that relate different events from each woman's perspective, you watch as the two form a tenuous and unexpected relationship though it is absolutely clear that while Emma sees Nina as a friend, Nina is looking for revenge. For what? Harriet Lane builds tension by taking her time in revealing what is behind Nina's vendetta. Once the reader knows all, the stakes are even higher as you hope Emma will put the pieces together in time.
'Her' is a fabulously written work of psychological suspense that relies on restraint rather than excess to build fear and makes you question how well you know anybody. There is no huge reveal and the horror is in realizing it is Nina's distortion of reality that is behind her mounting efforts for revenge.
As I said when I first finished reading this, it made my blood run cold.
August 19, 2018
I adored every second of reading this psychological thriller Her by Harriet Lane. I was so totally into reading Her that I read it all in a day and a half.
In the book Her the story centres around the fact that two women in the story have a story about their lives to tell.
While Nina is out Nina recognizes pregnant Emma with her little boy.
Nina remembers what Emma did to upset Nina many years ago, but has never forgotten it. Now Nina has found Emma at last, now Nina has a plan.
I enjoyed everything in this novel, the characters , the writing, and the plot. This fascinating story all comes together near the end.
In the book Her the story centres around the fact that two women in the story have a story about their lives to tell.
While Nina is out Nina recognizes pregnant Emma with her little boy.
Nina remembers what Emma did to upset Nina many years ago, but has never forgotten it. Now Nina has found Emma at last, now Nina has a plan.
I enjoyed everything in this novel, the characters , the writing, and the plot. This fascinating story all comes together near the end.
April 8, 2023
I honestly hate giving books low ratings, but I just couldn't give this one anything higher.
The characters were unlikeable, the story dragged and dragged and dragged, and still didn't seem to get anywhere.
Throughout the book, Nina does little things to try and put Emma out, to make her remember something from when she was younger. But Emma doesn't notice, and doesn't remember, so it all seems very pointless. I kept thinking this must be building up to something. Surely something must happen at some point. But no, nothing really does. It appears something happens at the end of the book, but we don't really know the outcome as the book just cuts off. It was very very frustrating.
This one was definitely not for me.
The characters were unlikeable, the story dragged and dragged and dragged, and still didn't seem to get anywhere.
Throughout the book, Nina does little things to try and put Emma out, to make her remember something from when she was younger. But Emma doesn't notice, and doesn't remember, so it all seems very pointless. I kept thinking this must be building up to something. Surely something must happen at some point. But no, nothing really does. It appears something happens at the end of the book, but we don't really know the outcome as the book just cuts off. It was very very frustrating.
This one was definitely not for me.
February 17, 2015
Spoilers, spoilers everywhere...
I very much enjoyed Harriet Lane's previous novel, Alys, Always, and was expecting to enjoy this one. The promised theme of a toxic friendship between two women seemed likely to suit her very subtle style of storytelling, and to have all the makings of an excellent psychological thriller.
The alternating first person narrators worked well, up to a point. Although there was a lot of overlap, there was far more than that - and seeing the same scene from different points of view was very effective. It wasn't, for me, overdone to the point of boredom.
My problem was more fundamental, and was with the characters and the plot.
We learn early on that these two women have known each other in the past, although one remembers and the other clearly doesn't - so there's the first clue that there is some oddness about the past relationship, that made it matter so much to one character and completely pass the other one by.
We also learn that Nina is now the more confident and attractive of the two, and in their youth Emma was...and that for some unspecified reason Nina still resents Emma. So much so that she pickpockets Emma's wallet and kidnaps her toddler (only for an hour but still!) in order to engineer a friendship.
All this we are told through the alternating first person narratives. And so that means we are in Nina's head for half the story - and while orchestrating this elaborate revenge, she doesn't once think about the reason for it - not until near to the end of the story.
And then the reason is just simply inadequate. It turns out that Nina's father had a crush on young Emma, and it was a precipitating cause of Nina's parents' divorce. But Emma was, by Nina's account, pretty much unaware and certainly not culpable.
This, and her cruelty to Emma's children, is explicable if Nina is pure sociopath, but unlike the main character in Alys, apart from those isolated incidents she doesn't come across that way. She had issues with her mother and daughter and was on her second marriage, but she didn't seem to have anything other than ordinarily human virtues and vices in those relationships.
So for me, it failed. I felt cheated that she'd held back on the motive - but more cheated that the motive was so flimsy.
And the ending without an ending, where Nina manipulated a fatal accident for the toddler... but we didn't get to find out whether he drowned or his mother got there in time to save him.... That felt like a failure of nerve. I would have preferred Nina to relent, or to see her actually follow through.
I still enjoyed her writing though, and will probably read her next novel.
I very much enjoyed Harriet Lane's previous novel, Alys, Always, and was expecting to enjoy this one. The promised theme of a toxic friendship between two women seemed likely to suit her very subtle style of storytelling, and to have all the makings of an excellent psychological thriller.
The alternating first person narrators worked well, up to a point. Although there was a lot of overlap, there was far more than that - and seeing the same scene from different points of view was very effective. It wasn't, for me, overdone to the point of boredom.
My problem was more fundamental, and was with the characters and the plot.
We learn early on that these two women have known each other in the past, although one remembers and the other clearly doesn't - so there's the first clue that there is some oddness about the past relationship, that made it matter so much to one character and completely pass the other one by.
We also learn that Nina is now the more confident and attractive of the two, and in their youth Emma was...and that for some unspecified reason Nina still resents Emma. So much so that she pickpockets Emma's wallet and kidnaps her toddler (only for an hour but still!) in order to engineer a friendship.
All this we are told through the alternating first person narratives. And so that means we are in Nina's head for half the story - and while orchestrating this elaborate revenge, she doesn't once think about the reason for it - not until near to the end of the story.
And then the reason is just simply inadequate. It turns out that Nina's father had a crush on young Emma, and it was a precipitating cause of Nina's parents' divorce. But Emma was, by Nina's account, pretty much unaware and certainly not culpable.
This, and her cruelty to Emma's children, is explicable if Nina is pure sociopath, but unlike the main character in Alys, apart from those isolated incidents she doesn't come across that way. She had issues with her mother and daughter and was on her second marriage, but she didn't seem to have anything other than ordinarily human virtues and vices in those relationships.
So for me, it failed. I felt cheated that she'd held back on the motive - but more cheated that the motive was so flimsy.
And the ending without an ending, where Nina manipulated a fatal accident for the toddler... but we didn't get to find out whether he drowned or his mother got there in time to save him.... That felt like a failure of nerve. I would have preferred Nina to relent, or to see her actually follow through.
I still enjoyed her writing though, and will probably read her next novel.
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