The Other Side of the Wall

by Andrea Mara

When Sylvia looks out her bedroom window at night and sees a child face down in the pond next door, she races into her neighbour's garden. But the pond is empty, and no-one is answering the door. Wondering if night feeds and sleep deprivation are getting to her, she hurriedly retreats. Besides, the fact that a local child has gone missing must be preying on her mind. Then, a week later, she hears the sound of a man crying through her bedroom wall. The man living next door, Sam, has recently moved in. His wife and children are away for the summer and he joins them at weekends. Sylvia finds him friendly and helpful, yet she becomes increasingly uneasy about him. Then Sylvia's little daughter wakes one night, screaming that there's a man in her room. This is followed by a series of bizarre disturbances in the house. Sylvia's husband insists it's all in her mind, but she is certain it's not - there's something very wrong on the other side of the wall.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Psychological Thriller, Crime, Contemporary

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 16, 2017

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! AWESOME! COMPELLING! RIVETING! POSSIBLY THE BEST BOOK I'VE READ THIS YEAR.

If I hadn't known this was a debut novel before I started reading, I would have thought this a well crafted book by a veteran author.

It starts with a woman seeing a child face down in a neighbor's pool. By the time she ran downstairs and next door, there was nothing there. She also feels that someone, somehow is entering her home at night and moving things. The wonders if because there actually is a missing child, her mind is inventing things.

Her neighbor is Sam, who is staying in his new home alone while the wife and kids are visiting her mother. Sam seems friendly enough, but she increasingly comes to mistrust him.

At first the reader may be confused .... chapters bounce from now to then, first from this person, then another. It's like a jigsaw puzzle at first ... how does this person relate to that person, then and now?

There are some major twists that just keep coming. It's like being in a house of mirrors ..you never know what's behind the next turn ... or on the other side of the wall.

I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers. This is definitely an author to watch for.

I won the digital copy from LibraryThing, so I wish to thank them and the author for making this book available. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Sunflowerbooklover · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ok... this was just really really dumb. Nothing about this book did I like....

I feel like too many authors try to hype up these "psychological and gripping stories" with characters and plots that DON'T WORK.

This author lost me on this one. I'm not exactly sure where she was going with this story? Too many characters and it was just super confusing.

But, this is my opinion and who knows maybe you'll love it?

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book whatsoever the plot was going nowhere the timeframes were everywhere & I could not follow it, the characters I could not connect with them & found it very confusing. The author lost me I could not work out where this was going. Sylvia annoyed the crap out of me she was very manic I heard the alarm bells straight away thought Sylvia was a manic depressive very irritating.
This was not for me & would not reccomend.

[Chrissie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I enjoyed No-one Saw A Thing by this author, so I was pleased to find that this title was included in my Audible membership. I hate to say this, but I could not finish this audiobook because of the narrator. She has a cut glass English accent, but the characters are Irish, and I flinched at the attempts, not able to discern Northern or Southern Irish. Also, some of the female voices were ridiculously high pitched! This is the first time this has happened to me, and my rating is purely based on the narration. Such a shame. Maybe I will read this in a different form in the future.

[Ceecee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good thing is - Andrea Mara’s writing improves massively after this! Zips backwards and forwards in time willynilly, creating some confusion. It’s a credulity stretcher but not bad in parts! Nearly jacked it in but glad I didn’t.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has potential but i feel like the ending is rushed and doesn't really tie up all the characters stories. I also feel like I am missing something at the end

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started good,But then it got confusing I'm not keen on books that goes back in time,I know alot of psychological books do that to get a great ending.This book starts a woman new new neighbour Sam moves in he has a pond and she thinks she sees a child she investigates and finds nothing.was her mind playing tricks.she doesn't trust sam.it was an okay read..

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

That's a hell of a first novel. One to watch!

[Margaret Madden · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Sylvia sits feeding her baby in the early hours of the morning. Exhausted, she nods off and wakes with a jolt. The dog is barking. Placing her son in his cot, she looks out the window to see why. She is horrified to see a child, floating face-down in her neighbour's pond. When she rushes into the garden, there is no sign of the child and no answer from next-door, despite her incessant knocking. The incident unnerves her, but she puts it down to lack of sleep and the news that a local child is missing. But she just cannot shift the uneasy feeling that she did not imagine what she saw...

A string of odd happenings lead Sylvia to distrust her new neighbour, Sam. His wife and children are away for the summer and, while he is friendly and a hit with her own husband, she just cannot shake her unease. She struggles to make her husband believe that there are strange things happening and begins to doubt herself. Is there really something going on on the other side of the wall, or is she imagining things?

Andrea Mara opens up her debut with a bang. The night-time exhaustion and dim light add uncertainty to Sylvia's sighting of the child in the garden, but then more unusual events lead to unexplained happenings on the quite suburban road. Told from multiple viewpoints (Sylvia's, Sam's, Kate, an un-named woman) and over different time spans, the layered story reveals itself, one page at a time. Sylvia's voice is one we all know: juggling work and home-life; trying to please everyone, forgetting about yourself; avoiding interaction with neighbours for fear of judgment; questioning your own parenting skills or even your own sanity, at times. Kate and Sam are going through a difficult time and we learn why they spent so little time together and why Kate is rarely seen. The tension builds, the questions becoming more frequent and the turns jarring the reader from their sense of comfort.

All is not what it seems and not everyone is telling the truth. At just under 400 pages, this is a psychological thriller to test your trust in its narration. The changing timelines and characters do take a while to get used to, but this is a fine debut that you will struggle to put down.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mentioned on my stories over the weekend that I’ve read all of Irish thriller writer Andrea Mara’s books, bar this one and One Click, and that I was on my way to rectifying that! I flew through The Other Side of the Wall; like all of her other work, this is a fast-paced, highly engaging read that I was desperate to get back to once my daughter was asleep in the evenings!

Sylvia has just returned to work after being on mat leave, she’s finding it stressful dealing with sleep deprivation and the potential fraud she’s uncovered in her job, plus now there seems to be weird goings on in her next door neighbours house.

Odd sounds, extra marital affairs, people going missing, and most horrifyingly; Sylvia thinks she saw a drowned child in next door’s pond. Sam, her neighbour, denies all of this and Sylvia’s husband thinks she’s losing it (😒), but she’s determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on, regardless of the consequences.

This book! I could not for the life of me figure out where it was going! It has to be said that this is a common theme with this author and me 😅.
I pride myself on deducing the endings to thrillers ahead of time but Andrea Mara’s books are always just too tricky for me to work out.

The book uses several different perspectives to tell the story, which I thought worked really well here, and I was completely gripped from start to finish.

If you haven’t read this one yet, be like me and amend that situation immediately! A good thriller is hard to find; if you’re in a reading rut this will sort you right out!

I borrowed my copy from the library but you can also get this on audio from BorrowBox and it’s currently 1.99 on kindle or free if you have unlimited!

[Siobhan Purcell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A wonderful debut novel. Normally I would guess things when reading but it was a great surprise not to. Kept me captivated until the very end. Would make a great movie!!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sylvia is under pressure. She's coping with all the stresses that a new baby can bring - plus, her return to work after Maternity Leave isn't a good one - there was a massive financial mistake made while she was away and she's the one asked to sort it out.

Meanwhile, Sam and Kate have moved in next door - they seem like the perfect family, with two sweet boys - so why is Sylvia so suspicious of them? She's convinced that something isn't right, and becomes increasingly wary of Sam. Is Sylvia right, or is she crumbling under pressure?

This goes back-and-forth a lot. I was a little annoyed at first because I was really getting sucked in to Sylvia's story then it jumped to someone else, but after a while I really got to know all the characters well and didn't need to take notes (unusual for me). It's a great story, it all ties together well, and it kept me interested. Parts of it were genuinely creepy, and the villain of the piece was truly horrible.

I borrowed this one from the library and took it on holiday with me - it was the perfect holiday read, and I'd recommend it. It's an impressive debut, and I'll definitely read more from this author.

[Clí Ní Bhriain · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, up until the last couple of chapters. It feels unfinished to me, and I feel like the murdered child explanation was utterly baffling. So Michael kidnapped and murdered a random child? All to show him a brief viewing of a face down child in a pond, from an upstairs window? Just to make a point to Sam that he meant business? Also really didn't need the addition of the Noel and Georgia chapters. Loved the writing and suspense of the book, but it definitely fell very flat for me.

[booksofallkinds · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL by Andrea Mara is a debut novel that will absolutely knock your socks off and leave you looking at your neighbours in a whole new light.

From the moment Sylvia sees what appears to be a child's body floating in her next door neighbours pond, her life will never be the same. After returning to her stressful job after being off on maternity leave, her husband believes that it is exhaustion and worry that has Sylvia hallucinating. But when other strange things begin to happen in her home, Sylvia knows that there is something going on and it is connected to the new neighbours next door. Everything was perfect in this little community until they showed up so it cannot be a coincidence...

From missing neighbours, to strange noises, to monsters at the foot of the bed, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL by Andrea Mara will send chills up and down your spine and have you double-checking the locks ten times before you go to sleep. Gripping, enthralling, and downright creepy, this novel has got it all.

The narrative switches from past to present, and from one character's story to another, which gives an edginess to the tale that works perfectly with the pace of the drama. While I had my suspicions about what was happening, I am delighted to say I was completely wrong, and as the truth unfolded, I had to lift my mouth up off the floor!

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL by Andrea Mara is the epitome of what a psychological thriller novel should be, and will leave you asking the question, do you ever really know what happens behind closed doors? If you love a novel that gets your heart racing and your nerves jangling, then THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WALL is definitely for you.

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent debut psychological thriller/domestic noir, whichever term you prefer to use. I'm a sucker for these books. Especially those by Irish authors, but that's just me being biased! This book kept me gripped and I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I'll definitely be at the top of the queue for Andrea Mara's second novel.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really hate to rate this book so low, considering I praised it with my previous updates. However, this book fell victim to lazy characterization and consistency, it completely went of course. Now in the beginning of this novel, it was very luring and scary, I just knew that it was going to be one of my favorite books. Yet out of nowhere, the author completely changed the plot, then introduced mini stories that was not even relevant to the story.

Note to authors ( especially those that write thrillers), I DO NOT want to be so hyped up about one main element of the story,only for you to retrack and start writing about things that you originally did not hint in the beginning. In other words, if you have a strong plot already, then DO NOT ADD ALL OF THESE UNNECESSARY MINI PLOTS.

The tangents was enough to drive me crazy, STICK to the damn plot.

UGHH I hate how this book had so much potential, but I am a straight shooter.

Impress or bore me,also I am severely more critical of thrillers.

[Paige Abergel Stavena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, gripping, addictive. Though it did bounce around in a sometimes confusing way, I was overall impressed. I'd recommend for a quick read.

[Miranda Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Big fan of this author and this book did not disappoint. Creepy with twists and turns throughout.

[Rach Douglas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although just a bit mental I quite liked it!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a slogg but then, in the middle, bam the twist begins and a good one at that

[Phoebe Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this! I agree with other reviews that the number of character perspectives and different time periods did confuse things at times, it was a lot to keep track of. Despite this I did find they all came together to form a satisfying and complete conclusion.

That being said, I do feel as if we could have benefitted from an epilogue to provide some closure on all the different threads. For example I didn't think Sylvia's work issues were entirely resolved and it would have been nice to see the characters years down the line having overcome the horrendous goings on in this novel.

Dearie me did Andrea Mara do a good job of making me hate the villain in this book, no redeeming qualities at all, my emotions definitely were drawn in to feel for the characters.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it’s the kind of book that you don’t want to put down but you also don’t want it to end. I loved how the stories unfolded and you were fed snippets of information throughout that made you suspect one thing but when you realise what’s actually going on after a revelation you’re left thinking OMG did NOT see that coming!
I was so absorbed in it that when it said The End I still turned the page looking for more, I was like what do you mean the end I want to keep reading!?! What did they do afterwards did they sort things out did they move back was everything ok?! Ye I didn’t want it to end at all I loved it!!

[Dan Lawton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started with a pop but got slower and slower and less interesting as it progressed. Too many characters that were difficult to differentiate at times. Too many sub-plots that didn't do a whole lot to move the story forward. A whole lot of awkward English and strange dialogue for my taste. The author is not from the US, obviously, and it shows. It doesn't make it bad, just difficult to read. I felt very disconnected from the characters and lost interest about half way through. I kept wondering when something would actually happen. It's a pass from me.

[Claire Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't remember the last time I was so desperate to know what the conclusion of a book I was reading would be. I was hooked. The short chapters, the altering perspectives, the gradual unveiling of the harrowing truth, Andrea Mara really knows how to engage her readers. One of the best thrillers I have ever read. I was compelled to pick up another of her books almost immediately after I finished this one.

[CloudOfThoughts_Books Keirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great psychological thriller!

The other side of the wall was a great quick read. It had you guessing and wondering as well as able to like and dislike characters. Glad to own this in my Kindle library! Definitely recommend if you like psychological thrillers..

[Bri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am pretty good at figuring twists out ...... not with this book! Awesome read!!

[Meddings_Musings: Erin Meddings · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent, chilling, and suspenseful book from Andrea Mara! The ending fizzled out a bit but it was still really good and I’d definitely recommend it!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️