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Shooting Martha
A darkly funny novel set between a London film set and a villa in the south of France - a mix of Vertigo and Jonathan Coe, written by a master storyteller.
Celebrated director Jack Drake can't get through his latest film (his most personal yet) without his wife Martha's support. The only problem is, she's dead...
When Jack sees Betty Dean - actress, mother, trainwreck - playing the part of a crazed nun on stage in an indie production of The Devils, he is struck dumb by her resemblance to Martha. Desperate to find a way to complete his masterpiece, he hires her to go and stay in his house in France and resuscitate Martha in the role of 'loving spouse'.
But as Betty spends her days roaming the large, sunlit rooms of Jack's mansion - filled to the brim with odd treasures and the occasional crucifix - and her evenings playing the part of Martha over scripted video calls with Jack, she finds her method acting taking her to increasingly dark places.
And as Martha comes back to life, she carries with her the truth about her suicide - and the secret she guarded until the end.
Celebrated director Jack Drake can't get through his latest film (his most personal yet) without his wife Martha's support. The only problem is, she's dead...
When Jack sees Betty Dean - actress, mother, trainwreck - playing the part of a crazed nun on stage in an indie production of The Devils, he is struck dumb by her resemblance to Martha. Desperate to find a way to complete his masterpiece, he hires her to go and stay in his house in France and resuscitate Martha in the role of 'loving spouse'.
But as Betty spends her days roaming the large, sunlit rooms of Jack's mansion - filled to the brim with odd treasures and the occasional crucifix - and her evenings playing the part of Martha over scripted video calls with Jack, she finds her method acting taking her to increasingly dark places.
And as Martha comes back to life, she carries with her the truth about her suicide - and the secret she guarded until the end.
321 pages, Hardcover
Published August 5, 2021
48 people are currently reading
964 people want to read
About the author
David Thewlis
3 books172 followersDavid Thewlis (born David Wheeler; 20 March 1963) is an English actor of stage and screen, and the author of one novel, The Late Hector Kipling (2007).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 11, 2021
Davis Thewlis has once again written an exceptional novel full of suspense, quick wit and candid insights in to the human mind when it’s pushed in to madness. His characters are flawed and manic, they leave your head swirling just as theirs are.
Dark secrets, dark humour and even darker thoughts.
Utterly brilliant.
Dark secrets, dark humour and even darker thoughts.
Utterly brilliant.
August 26, 2021
4.5
an actual unexpected ending which is refreshing
this was also one of those books that you read a few chapters of in the morning, then spend the whole day wishing you could go home and read some more, I don't think I've ever finished a book this fast
the content of the story and the way it was written was slightly over the top theatrical, but this follows how I imagine Jack and Betty see the world
I only bought this book because I love Thewlis as an actor, then I instantly regretted buying this book because I read Tom Hanks short stories and they were truly awful, but I am pleasantly surprised that Thewlis can actually write
I hope he writes more
an actual unexpected ending which is refreshing
this was also one of those books that you read a few chapters of in the morning, then spend the whole day wishing you could go home and read some more, I don't think I've ever finished a book this fast
the content of the story and the way it was written was slightly over the top theatrical, but this follows how I imagine Jack and Betty see the world
I only bought this book because I love Thewlis as an actor, then I instantly regretted buying this book because I read Tom Hanks short stories and they were truly awful, but I am pleasantly surprised that Thewlis can actually write
I hope he writes more
September 16, 2021
What did I just read 🤯🤯🤯
Dark and twisty but in a good way.
Dark and twisty but in a good way.
February 2, 2022
Note to self book reviews...
Note to self: never buy a book just because it's in the January sale.
I feel bad giving this such a low rating as the actor is brilliant and definitely comes up with interesting ideas. It is the execution of this great premise - an obsessive widower trying to use another actress to 'bring back' his dead wife - that has forced my hand.
I don't mind it when books swear. Not at all. I mind when the word 'c*nt' used in excess when it doesn't need to be. The writing was a little dense in places and I couldn't really support any of the characters. There were some redeeming lines, such as Betty (our leading woman) telling the food in the fridge to f*ck off, which made me laugh.
But, note to self: don't bother going past the first 100 pages. It doesn't get better.
2/5 starts and it is going to live on my 'Don't Touch with a Barge Pole' shelf.
July 17, 2024
Marvelous!
I started reading “Shooting Martha” because I’m a big fan of Remus Lupin, and when I discovered that David Thewlis wrote a novel, I knew I had to read it.
The novel is tremendously dark, witty, and beautifully written. I loved it! The theories I conjured in my mind added to the full excitement. I adored every bit of it and am confidently in love with both the writer and his novel.
There was a moment when I thought it might become boring or slower, but believe me, those last pages… OMG!
Update: I wrote this review two years ago, and I still think about this novel. I plan to reread it when I visit England/France in October, listening to “Ruthless” by The Marias and imagining David Thewlis as Mr. Kinsky from the movie Besieged by Bernardo Bertolucci. This novel and its uniqueness remain on my mind.
I started reading “Shooting Martha” because I’m a big fan of Remus Lupin, and when I discovered that David Thewlis wrote a novel, I knew I had to read it.
The novel is tremendously dark, witty, and beautifully written. I loved it! The theories I conjured in my mind added to the full excitement. I adored every bit of it and am confidently in love with both the writer and his novel.
There was a moment when I thought it might become boring or slower, but believe me, those last pages… OMG!
Update: I wrote this review two years ago, and I still think about this novel. I plan to reread it when I visit England/France in October, listening to “Ruthless” by The Marias and imagining David Thewlis as Mr. Kinsky from the movie Besieged by Bernardo Bertolucci. This novel and its uniqueness remain on my mind.
October 9, 2022
Picked this up on a whim in the bookshop and really glad I did. Glad I didn’t click who David Thewlis was before I read this because my experience of actors writing has been disappointing so far.
But this was far from disappointing. The blurb makes it sound pretty trashy and funny but it wasn’t either of these things, though it’s got a touch of farce to it. Really compelling and absorbing.
But this was far from disappointing. The blurb makes it sound pretty trashy and funny but it wasn’t either of these things, though it’s got a touch of farce to it. Really compelling and absorbing.
September 3, 2021
Interesting concept, especially the physcological aspect of imitating someone until they are a separate person within your own mind. The reveal of the main mystery was a bit predictable but well thought out, the clues given through out the book only made it more intriguing
The writing style for me made it a less enjoyable read, I found myself losing interest in places as it could be long winded and slow paced
The writing style for me made it a less enjoyable read, I found myself losing interest in places as it could be long winded and slow paced
August 15, 2021
Dark, weird, irritating, strange, compelling.... not sure if I could say I liked or even enjoyed this book.... but I certainly had to keep reading it... the story will certainly stay with me.
August 15, 2021
The dark, witty comedy throughout the novel is quintessentially Thewlis. This book is packed with great characters and humour.
August 16, 2023
I knew my french was bad but I didn’t realise how bad until I read this
February 15, 2025
An excellently compelling read, powered by a crisp, snappy yet literary narrative voice and a series of interesting motifs and themes. Having just read it, I feel like putting my ideas down on the main themes of the book so as to emphasise how neatly this book explores them. They are only vague ideas, but I have no doubt this book could be analysed with a more academic eye.
Circularity / cyclicality, rebirth, nature vs nurture
This is a book about two characters. Jack Drake, the director, who is directing a film about his father who commits suicide. He embodies the role of his father in the film (and mirrors it in his life) and by the end of the filming, kills himself also. Cyclical. It is also the story of Betty Dean, who has her own arc but largely exists to serve the messages of the Drake plot, mirroring and rebirthing Martha Drake in herself and filling the break in Drake's circle.
The very theme of circularity is referenced multiple times in the book. For instance, the only chance for an ugly man to get with a beautiful woman, Jack Drake writes in his play, is if he looks like her father. So she marries the man her mother married, in a different form. Their son then looks like the father, the cycle continues. Jack is in the middle of his generational bloodline, the son of a dead father and the father of a dead son. In his play, he becomes his father. It was, Nora says, inevitable (as it was inevitable too that he would become his father in his real life). He casts his wife, Martha, as his mother. In the same way women may marry men like their fathers, Jack has married a woman who reminds him of his mother. Whom he loves, but doesn’t understand – and therefore resents her for. Together they birth a son, Oliver, who they also love but don’t understand, and therefore resent. The boy dies (self-inflicted, drowning in a pool) just as Jack’s father dies (self-inflicted, asphyxiation by hanging), just as his wife kills herself, just as he does. Via a prosthetic at first, but the very fact his play is scheduled with the final scene being the father’s death shows Jack’s suicide was inevitable. He switches place with his prosthetic doll, leaving it on the phone with Martha and hanging himself in its stead. The prosthetic doll is the perceived view of him, and this is very much a book of perceptions and celebrity. Monuments to his own identity in the doll, or his wife’s identity in her dolls, her clothes, etc., appear constantly throughout the book. Jack is a director, a passion spawning because the only gesture of affection his father ever showed him was the gift of a camera. He uses it compulsively, his first instinct to take a photograph when walking in on his father committing adultery. We only ever understand his and Martha’s relationship through videos and pictures. Perception is everything. This is reflected in Martha’s speech which Betty learns and repeats at the beginning and end of the book ‘They think I'm dirty, therefore I must be dirty'.
This whole speech is about perception, both in terms of being perceived by others and also of how your perceptions of the past alter your view of the present (seeing patterns/cyclicality). Martha wants to stop being perceived by others, and she wants to break the cyclical nature of her life. Then comes Betty, who exists to resurrect this cycle. The element of her that is Betty resists this, but the fact her life runs in parallel to Martha’s sucks her in to this character she is playing. She is the same conflicted female actress. She is the same failure of a mother (or thinks she is). Her dad, like Jack’s dad who is never – throughout the book – shown to talk, or like Oliver, who is mute, is a silent yet ominous presence in her life, one she feels she has let down. She only breaks the cycle by proving she is a successful actress, by understanding she loves her son and returning to England to look after her father. She breaks her own cycle of destruction – and Jack’s – by defying the circle.
Identity
A clear theme in Shooting Martha, both in Jack’s internal contest with his identity in relation to his father (and his son) but also, namely in Betty’s split personality with Martha. Betty is an obsessive character actor, from a young age embodying the love of character acting. Starving herself to play an anorexic character. Here, becoming Martha because that is what she needs to do to play her character. It ends up consuming her in an unhealthy way, but as raised above this is a process by which she helps herself and Jack – just as she intended to do when she took the job. As a character, Betty is fascinating to read about even though it’s hard (by design) to make her out. So much of what we see is, ‘just acting’. At the end, she physically bashes her fist against the lift wall to remove Martha’s ring from her finger, which had become stuck to her after it slid so easily on. This ring represents her attachment to the Martha character. She only removes herself of it by hurting herself, i.e. making the difficult sacrifices of committing to her son and looking after her father.
Self-Sacrifice, repenting, religion
I’m sure there’s probably a lot more religious themes than I picked up but there is evidently the common motif of the crucifixes throughout Jack’s houses, his mother’s bible and the fact Betty is discovered as an actress while playing the role of a nun. Jesus on the crucifix is an obvious enough symbol for the characters in this book, who all repent for their respective sins. Jack’s father kills himself after being discovered cheating. His mother goes to prison for hiding his body. Martha throws herself in front of a train for staging Oliver’s death. Jack hangs himself for failing to break the cycle between himself and his father. Betty isolates herself from her son and allows the Martha identity to take her over in order to reset her life.
The End
Most of all, I wonder what exactly the message at the end of this book was. It wasn’t immediately obvious to me, I think it takes some thought. Betty visits Jack’s hospital room to leave him a letter. It is not addressed to him, nor is it for his benefit – it’s for an unknown reader if he dies, to explain things (presumably – about Martha and their son, about why he chose to end his life). She has just detached herself from the Martha identity, slipping off the ring, which she leaves at his table. Her part is done here. Jack’s mother is sat at his bedside, she tells Betty ‘it’s over’. In all this, the mother, like Martha, has had to watch events repeat themselves. She has seen her son completely take over the role of his father, as she probably knew he would – cheating and committing suicide. By killing the Martha identity, Betty finally puts an end to it, breaking the cycle.
This book is paying homage to many different ideas and concepts here, but in all ways it succeeds. One of the testimonials says Shooting Martha is a ‘human drama with the pace of a thriller’ and many of the other testimonials refer to this being a thriller. Indeed it’s written with the easy pace of a contemporary thriller, but it’s much more than that in my view. The thrilling pace is just a medium for the story. There is, despite this tone to the prose, a great many literary phrases in here too. I would describe this as a literary book first and a thriller/drama second. Purely because of what it is trying – and succeeding – to do in conveying its themes and messaging. The testimonials also describe it as comical, and this I’m torn on – it was light-hearted at many points and always written with a thick wit, but I certainly wouldn’t go into it expecting a comical novel. I’m surprised the book sells itself as being so, while it was funny in parts I really wouldn’t draw any attention to that in particular. It’s first and foremost a character study, and in exploring these characters we see their humour, as humour is a crucial element of anyone’s personality. In general I think the marketing of this as a comical thriller is downplaying how good a literary book this is too, but it's not a wholly inaccurate description.
It was interesting reading Thewlis’ perspective of characterisation, like how Betty observes Martha and copies her. Mimicking her body language, the nuances of her voice, her ticks. It was a way of seeing, and expressing, characters in a way I haven't seen done before. Subsequently discovering Thewlis is an actor explains this. It's like trying to draw the human body without understanding its anatomy, perhaps many authors without his background would struggle to truly know what to look for in their characters before expressing them on the page - but here all the characters feel very well observed, flowing seamlessly from page to imagination. I will be pleased to recognise this book to others, hidden gem that it is. I thought it was a brilliant piece of work, and I hope the author writes more novels. His writing was highly engaging and brought life to what was already an interesting concept.
Circularity / cyclicality, rebirth, nature vs nurture
This is a book about two characters. Jack Drake, the director, who is directing a film about his father who commits suicide. He embodies the role of his father in the film (and mirrors it in his life) and by the end of the filming, kills himself also. Cyclical. It is also the story of Betty Dean, who has her own arc but largely exists to serve the messages of the Drake plot, mirroring and rebirthing Martha Drake in herself and filling the break in Drake's circle.
The very theme of circularity is referenced multiple times in the book. For instance, the only chance for an ugly man to get with a beautiful woman, Jack Drake writes in his play, is if he looks like her father. So she marries the man her mother married, in a different form. Their son then looks like the father, the cycle continues. Jack is in the middle of his generational bloodline, the son of a dead father and the father of a dead son. In his play, he becomes his father. It was, Nora says, inevitable (as it was inevitable too that he would become his father in his real life). He casts his wife, Martha, as his mother. In the same way women may marry men like their fathers, Jack has married a woman who reminds him of his mother. Whom he loves, but doesn’t understand – and therefore resents her for. Together they birth a son, Oliver, who they also love but don’t understand, and therefore resent. The boy dies (self-inflicted, drowning in a pool) just as Jack’s father dies (self-inflicted, asphyxiation by hanging), just as his wife kills herself, just as he does. Via a prosthetic at first, but the very fact his play is scheduled with the final scene being the father’s death shows Jack’s suicide was inevitable. He switches place with his prosthetic doll, leaving it on the phone with Martha and hanging himself in its stead. The prosthetic doll is the perceived view of him, and this is very much a book of perceptions and celebrity. Monuments to his own identity in the doll, or his wife’s identity in her dolls, her clothes, etc., appear constantly throughout the book. Jack is a director, a passion spawning because the only gesture of affection his father ever showed him was the gift of a camera. He uses it compulsively, his first instinct to take a photograph when walking in on his father committing adultery. We only ever understand his and Martha’s relationship through videos and pictures. Perception is everything. This is reflected in Martha’s speech which Betty learns and repeats at the beginning and end of the book ‘They think I'm dirty, therefore I must be dirty'.
This whole speech is about perception, both in terms of being perceived by others and also of how your perceptions of the past alter your view of the present (seeing patterns/cyclicality). Martha wants to stop being perceived by others, and she wants to break the cyclical nature of her life. Then comes Betty, who exists to resurrect this cycle. The element of her that is Betty resists this, but the fact her life runs in parallel to Martha’s sucks her in to this character she is playing. She is the same conflicted female actress. She is the same failure of a mother (or thinks she is). Her dad, like Jack’s dad who is never – throughout the book – shown to talk, or like Oliver, who is mute, is a silent yet ominous presence in her life, one she feels she has let down. She only breaks the cycle by proving she is a successful actress, by understanding she loves her son and returning to England to look after her father. She breaks her own cycle of destruction – and Jack’s – by defying the circle.
Identity
A clear theme in Shooting Martha, both in Jack’s internal contest with his identity in relation to his father (and his son) but also, namely in Betty’s split personality with Martha. Betty is an obsessive character actor, from a young age embodying the love of character acting. Starving herself to play an anorexic character. Here, becoming Martha because that is what she needs to do to play her character. It ends up consuming her in an unhealthy way, but as raised above this is a process by which she helps herself and Jack – just as she intended to do when she took the job. As a character, Betty is fascinating to read about even though it’s hard (by design) to make her out. So much of what we see is, ‘just acting’. At the end, she physically bashes her fist against the lift wall to remove Martha’s ring from her finger, which had become stuck to her after it slid so easily on. This ring represents her attachment to the Martha character. She only removes herself of it by hurting herself, i.e. making the difficult sacrifices of committing to her son and looking after her father.
Self-Sacrifice, repenting, religion
I’m sure there’s probably a lot more religious themes than I picked up but there is evidently the common motif of the crucifixes throughout Jack’s houses, his mother’s bible and the fact Betty is discovered as an actress while playing the role of a nun. Jesus on the crucifix is an obvious enough symbol for the characters in this book, who all repent for their respective sins. Jack’s father kills himself after being discovered cheating. His mother goes to prison for hiding his body. Martha throws herself in front of a train for staging Oliver’s death. Jack hangs himself for failing to break the cycle between himself and his father. Betty isolates herself from her son and allows the Martha identity to take her over in order to reset her life.
The End
Most of all, I wonder what exactly the message at the end of this book was. It wasn’t immediately obvious to me, I think it takes some thought. Betty visits Jack’s hospital room to leave him a letter. It is not addressed to him, nor is it for his benefit – it’s for an unknown reader if he dies, to explain things (presumably – about Martha and their son, about why he chose to end his life). She has just detached herself from the Martha identity, slipping off the ring, which she leaves at his table. Her part is done here. Jack’s mother is sat at his bedside, she tells Betty ‘it’s over’. In all this, the mother, like Martha, has had to watch events repeat themselves. She has seen her son completely take over the role of his father, as she probably knew he would – cheating and committing suicide. By killing the Martha identity, Betty finally puts an end to it, breaking the cycle.
This book is paying homage to many different ideas and concepts here, but in all ways it succeeds. One of the testimonials says Shooting Martha is a ‘human drama with the pace of a thriller’ and many of the other testimonials refer to this being a thriller. Indeed it’s written with the easy pace of a contemporary thriller, but it’s much more than that in my view. The thrilling pace is just a medium for the story. There is, despite this tone to the prose, a great many literary phrases in here too. I would describe this as a literary book first and a thriller/drama second. Purely because of what it is trying – and succeeding – to do in conveying its themes and messaging. The testimonials also describe it as comical, and this I’m torn on – it was light-hearted at many points and always written with a thick wit, but I certainly wouldn’t go into it expecting a comical novel. I’m surprised the book sells itself as being so, while it was funny in parts I really wouldn’t draw any attention to that in particular. It’s first and foremost a character study, and in exploring these characters we see their humour, as humour is a crucial element of anyone’s personality. In general I think the marketing of this as a comical thriller is downplaying how good a literary book this is too, but it's not a wholly inaccurate description.
It was interesting reading Thewlis’ perspective of characterisation, like how Betty observes Martha and copies her. Mimicking her body language, the nuances of her voice, her ticks. It was a way of seeing, and expressing, characters in a way I haven't seen done before. Subsequently discovering Thewlis is an actor explains this. It's like trying to draw the human body without understanding its anatomy, perhaps many authors without his background would struggle to truly know what to look for in their characters before expressing them on the page - but here all the characters feel very well observed, flowing seamlessly from page to imagination. I will be pleased to recognise this book to others, hidden gem that it is. I thought it was a brilliant piece of work, and I hope the author writes more novels. His writing was highly engaging and brought life to what was already an interesting concept.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 8, 2024
This book has unsettled me, a different kind of dark. I was hooked all the way through and read through it so quickly. Couldn’t take my mind off it all day and I’ll be thinking about how marvellously messed up this is for a while. I found myself saying ‘wtf?’ out loud a lot while reading this. The plot twists were revealed in such a creepy, foreboding way that reminded me of when you’re shouting at the TV because you know what’s about to happen next, except in this case I was doing it at a book. It genuinely has cinematic vibes I’m seriously impressed.
David being actor first, author second comes across so clearly in this book, I can’t tell you exactly why but I’ve never seen characters written quite like this before, I really enjoyed how different it was! I could go back to the start and read it again right now. Maybe that would help me to understand the last couple of pages a little better. I need someone else to read this book so they can tell me whether I’m being stupid about the end or whether it’s supposed to be confusing so if someone can pick this book up next that would be great
David being actor first, author second comes across so clearly in this book, I can’t tell you exactly why but I’ve never seen characters written quite like this before, I really enjoyed how different it was! I could go back to the start and read it again right now. Maybe that would help me to understand the last couple of pages a little better. I need someone else to read this book so they can tell me whether I’m being stupid about the end or whether it’s supposed to be confusing so if someone can pick this book up next that would be great
September 26, 2025
Shooting Martha (2021) - actor David Thewlis' second novel following his debut 'The Late Hector Kipling' (2007).
Thewlis weaves a macabre, sinister and haunting tale as well as managing to be darkly humorous throughout. 'Shooting Martha' is a well written novel, which is accomplished and compelling.
This is the story of renowned film director Jack Drake, his latest autobiographical film and the loss of his wife, the eponymous Martha...
Key to the story is Jack encountering actress Betty Dean, who it would seem, bears a significant resemblance to the late Martha and thereby triggers a particular project that Jack has in mind... which seems to be a combination of experimental film making, therapy and a coping mechanism for grief and loss.
Thewlis has come up with a darkly original storyline, which he delivers well. Not perhaps the most literary of novels, but then again - it's quite probably not proporting to be. A very entertaining and satisfying read.
Thewlis weaves a macabre, sinister and haunting tale as well as managing to be darkly humorous throughout. 'Shooting Martha' is a well written novel, which is accomplished and compelling.
This is the story of renowned film director Jack Drake, his latest autobiographical film and the loss of his wife, the eponymous Martha...
Key to the story is Jack encountering actress Betty Dean, who it would seem, bears a significant resemblance to the late Martha and thereby triggers a particular project that Jack has in mind... which seems to be a combination of experimental film making, therapy and a coping mechanism for grief and loss.
Thewlis has come up with a darkly original storyline, which he delivers well. Not perhaps the most literary of novels, but then again - it's quite probably not proporting to be. A very entertaining and satisfying read.
Read
March 1, 2022This book is very engaging and makes the reader want to keep reading to find out what all the secrets are, but don't be fooled into thinking they'll be revealed. I could have read this in one sitting, if I didn't have to work.
December 22, 2023
made me laugh, cry and go “wtf??”
August 20, 2021
IT MADE ME FEEL VERY SICK BUT.. IN A GOOD WAY. VERY GOOD !
September 10, 2021
LOVED! Really incredible writing, and interesting concept for a book. Some twists and turns that literally made my jaw drop and I had to put down the book for a few seconds to collect myself!
July 31, 2021
Weird, unpredictable and darkly funny, Thewlis’ second novel follows a director shooting a film about his childhood and father’s suicide, and the woman he has hired to pretend to be his dead wife. A very entertaining and compelling story which explores death in a understatedly profound way.
August 27, 2022
I really, truly disliked this book and only carried on reading because I’ve not finished a few books recently and wanted to check that I wasn’t giving up too soon. It did not in any way deliver what was promised on the cover. The people quoted on the cover must have been reading something else entirely. I found no comedy. Just a disturbed and disturbing cast of thoroughly unpleasant characters and a nasty plot that should have come with trigger warnings. An overblown melodrama and a waste of time and money for me.
October 14, 2021
THAT PLOT TWIST AT THE END PLEASEEE that was genuinely so unexpected. Thewlis wrote another incredible book!!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 28, 2021
Well written, with a touch of Dirk Gently-era Douglas Adams at times, but ultimately comes off as believing it's more profound than it actually turns out to be.
July 23, 2022
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢, 𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘢𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳. '𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘢'𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬.'
—
(Trigger warning for mentions of suicide and death)
Jack, an eminent British director, is making a film about his traumatic childhood, specifically about discovering his father's affair with his teacher and his father's eventual suicide, which, understandably, is incredibly difficult for Jack, nevermind that he is still mourning the death of his wife, Martha. But when he sees Betty on stage he is struck but how much she resembles Martha and so proposes an odd arrangement; for £10,000 Betty is to go to Martha's house in the South of France and video call him pretending to be Martha, to give him the emotional support to finish the movie. A strange suggestion, yes, but the struggling actress Betty is in the middle of a custody battle and £10,000 would be a real help so she agrees, but let's just say things get a little out of control.
This was a strange premise with some real potential. There were definitely interesting moments in the blurring of "reality" and "performance" but for me, the storytelling was a little inconsistent, particularly regarding character motivations. This is very much a novel that utilises unlikeable characters but at times it was hard to pin down what the characters were supposed to be in the first place. Definitely an interesting book, but I think it could have been executed better.
—
(Trigger warning for mentions of suicide and death)
Jack, an eminent British director, is making a film about his traumatic childhood, specifically about discovering his father's affair with his teacher and his father's eventual suicide, which, understandably, is incredibly difficult for Jack, nevermind that he is still mourning the death of his wife, Martha. But when he sees Betty on stage he is struck but how much she resembles Martha and so proposes an odd arrangement; for £10,000 Betty is to go to Martha's house in the South of France and video call him pretending to be Martha, to give him the emotional support to finish the movie. A strange suggestion, yes, but the struggling actress Betty is in the middle of a custody battle and £10,000 would be a real help so she agrees, but let's just say things get a little out of control.
This was a strange premise with some real potential. There were definitely interesting moments in the blurring of "reality" and "performance" but for me, the storytelling was a little inconsistent, particularly regarding character motivations. This is very much a novel that utilises unlikeable characters but at times it was hard to pin down what the characters were supposed to be in the first place. Definitely an interesting book, but I think it could have been executed better.
October 4, 2021
dark and twisted, yet humorous
May 25, 2023
Jack Drake is a famous film director. His latest film centres around his childhood. Although one cannot speak of Jack without mentioning his wife, Martha's suicide.
Out one evening at the theatre, Jack is moved by the appearance of a young struggling actress, Betty. She holds a strong resemblance to his late wife. Jack hires Betty to live in his French home and act has his wife over phonecalls.
This is such a creepy mystery, although none of the characters are particularly likeable they hold charm and witt but that ending. I have questions!
I recommend listening to the audiobook where David voices Jack Drake. I would like to see this made into a series with David playing the character.
Out one evening at the theatre, Jack is moved by the appearance of a young struggling actress, Betty. She holds a strong resemblance to his late wife. Jack hires Betty to live in his French home and act has his wife over phonecalls.
This is such a creepy mystery, although none of the characters are particularly likeable they hold charm and witt but that ending. I have questions!
I recommend listening to the audiobook where David voices Jack Drake. I would like to see this made into a series with David playing the character.
September 15, 2023
It’s not a bad book in any way at all it just wasn’t for me really. The writing style wasn’t my cup of tea but I still respect that a lot of talent, time and care went into the writing. I didn’t relate to any of the characters but not because of a lack of character building, more just a case of personal taste. I think since I didn’t really care for Betty (one of the main characters) I struggled with the whole story.
I don’t think I’ll be reading this again but I wouldn’t discourage anyone else from reading it.
It’s a good book, just not my cup of tea :)
I don’t think I’ll be reading this again but I wouldn’t discourage anyone else from reading it.
It’s a good book, just not my cup of tea :)
August 26, 2022
*More like 3.5 stars. SUCH a cool and interesting concept, lots of depth behind both characters and plot, I just didn’t mesh with the writing style. Could have been wayyyy more concise. Lovely moments, but could have been edited down. I feel like there was too much decoration/ attempted sophistication for me to get lost in it yk? Like I felt like I was reading words on a page rather than living the story through the characters.
May 18, 2022
it made me feel a bit sick sometimes
July 31, 2022
This novel was such a conundrum for me. I wanted to get through it as fast as possible because it creeped me out yet I also wanted to see what would happen. Based on the story and the outcome I am pretty sure that the dual feelings were the intention of the author. Even through the dark overtones, it was a very good book and certainly did not end in the way that I expected. Quite frankly, I am not sure how I expected it to end.
The story is of film maker Jack Drake who is making a movie out of one of his most traumatic experiences from his childhood. His wife had passed away a couple of months prior and it was affecting his work. Jack inadvertantly comes across an actress named Betty Dean who has an uncanny mimic ability. He hires her to pretend to be his late wife. Betty is a method actress and therefore needs as much information about the character as possible. Since Martha was a real person, Betty attempts to find out everything she can about who Martha was. What transpires is nothing short of disturbing and the revelations are astounding.
I feel this book would be great book club material. It leaves a lot of open questions: what are Jack's true intentions when recreating Martha; was Betty losing herself in her character or was Martha coming back from the afterlife; and were the characters consciously repeating the past or was it something that they unknowingly did; are a couple of examples.
I found this book to be a strange marriage of Hitchcock's Psycho and Du Maurier's Rebecca. Both fascinating yet troubling. If you are into that sort of novel then this is for you. A word of caution: if you have tender sensibilities toward foul language you may need to weigh your options. Personally, I found it highly entertaining.
The story is of film maker Jack Drake who is making a movie out of one of his most traumatic experiences from his childhood. His wife had passed away a couple of months prior and it was affecting his work. Jack inadvertantly comes across an actress named Betty Dean who has an uncanny mimic ability. He hires her to pretend to be his late wife. Betty is a method actress and therefore needs as much information about the character as possible. Since Martha was a real person, Betty attempts to find out everything she can about who Martha was. What transpires is nothing short of disturbing and the revelations are astounding.
I feel this book would be great book club material. It leaves a lot of open questions: what are Jack's true intentions when recreating Martha; was Betty losing herself in her character or was Martha coming back from the afterlife; and were the characters consciously repeating the past or was it something that they unknowingly did; are a couple of examples.
I found this book to be a strange marriage of Hitchcock's Psycho and Du Maurier's Rebecca. Both fascinating yet troubling. If you are into that sort of novel then this is for you. A word of caution: if you have tender sensibilities toward foul language you may need to weigh your options. Personally, I found it highly entertaining.
September 13, 2021
Jack is a filmmaker. Betty is an actress. Jack is obsessed with his deceased wife (Martha). Betty can do excellent vocal impressions. Jack is a pretentious director who needs his wife in order to finish his film. Betty is a single mom who’s lost her son and needs work. Jack is hiding huge parts of his life and his relationship with his wife. Betty is investigative. Cue drama.
We spent a lot of time with Betty and getting to know Martha and finding out her story through Betty, which was entertaining. Jack, to be honest, I could take or leave. Other than the fact that he is obsessed with Martha, we didn’t learn a whole lot about him (outside of his film, which… eh) or that relationship, which I felt was lacking.
I think this story would have worked best as a film, though. A lot of the dialogue is written in such a way that would work well spoken aloud, but having to read it slowed down the pacing and brought it down a bit. Given that so much of the story revolved around video calls, Betty watching old video of Martha, and of Betty’s vocal impressions, not having the visuals was a hindrance to the overall enjoyment. That’s not to say that the book is not enjoyable as is (I did enjoy it) but I think it would have worked better as a film.
CW: domestic abuse, talking about deceased relatives, suicide, suicidal ideation, child death
We spent a lot of time with Betty and getting to know Martha and finding out her story through Betty, which was entertaining. Jack, to be honest, I could take or leave. Other than the fact that he is obsessed with Martha, we didn’t learn a whole lot about him (outside of his film, which… eh) or that relationship, which I felt was lacking.
I think this story would have worked best as a film, though. A lot of the dialogue is written in such a way that would work well spoken aloud, but having to read it slowed down the pacing and brought it down a bit. Given that so much of the story revolved around video calls, Betty watching old video of Martha, and of Betty’s vocal impressions, not having the visuals was a hindrance to the overall enjoyment. That’s not to say that the book is not enjoyable as is (I did enjoy it) but I think it would have worked better as a film.
CW: domestic abuse, talking about deceased relatives, suicide, suicidal ideation, child death
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