Too Close by Natalie Daniels (ARC)
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Read: 17th November 2018
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 24th November 2018)
★★ 2.5 stars
I think the best words to describe this book are "frantic" and "chaotic". TOO CLOSE is dark and a little disturbing, but also somewhat frenetic. It's about two friends, their families, the children and it just spirals from there. I think the idea was promising but to me it just failed to deliver. I found myself struggling with this book when I did so much want to enjoy it.
The story is told from primarily Connie's POV with the odd chapter from Emma's perspective as well. Emma is Connie's psychiatrist, Dr Robinson, or Dr. R as Connie calls her. But I'm not sure what Emma's place in the story was. What was the point of her chapters? Her perspective? How did her story collide with Emma's? It didn't. I felt like her story was a little superfluous as she is there as Connie's psychiatrist and not really anything else. I mean, she didn't really DO anything else.
So we know from the synopsis that Connie and Ness meet at a park, become friends, and their families inseparable. Until Ness' marriage to Leah ends in a bitter divorce and then she is practically at Connie's all the time. So what happens out of that?
We also know that Connie wakes in a psychiatric hospital with no knowledge as to how she got there. She is told she has committed a terrible crime but she has no memory of it. And so the story begins to unfold with the how's and the why's. Or that was the plan. But honestly? I spent the majority of the book confused particularly when it seemingly jumped around suddenly to various scenes and then backtracking to where they were before that said scene. Utterly confusing and I struggled to keep up.
I felt it difficult to connect to any of the characters but Connie, particularly as the story seemingly unfold through her eyes. I felt for Connie and the predicament she found herself in with no memory or knowledge as to why she was there. It was heartbreaking yet confusing and you really get that sense of loneliness - that she is on her own. But I felt there needed to be more explanation into Connie's diagnosis in the end. In Connie's words it was "bipolar fucking psycho". Did that mean she had bipolar disorder? Or that she was psychotic? Or paranoid? And how did such a diagnosis lay undiagnosed for so long? I mean, if she were bipolar she would have displayed a little erratic behaviour. Instead that erratic and psychotic behaviour came almost out of nowhere, only building after the overprescribed medication by her GP - which caused her erratic behaviour. And then her delusional behaviour leading up to the accident that put her in the psych hospital - that was more psychosis than bipolar. I've not known bipolar to be so delusional thinking that she was already dead. Maybe I'm wrong but my brother in law is bipolar, and he displays nothing of the sort that is characterised by Connie. I felt that needed more explanation because it just left me more confused.
I didn't like Ness nor Connie's husband (whose name escapes me right now and I can only think of him as "the Weasel" as Connie calls him). We didn't see enough of Leah for me to form an opinion of her. And although I liked Emma, I did feel her story was unnecessary, as it had nothing to do with Connie or the story at hand. But Ness? She was supposed to Connie's friend. I had really hoped Connie had succeeded with the hydrochloric acid because I felt that visceral betrayal as Connie did. And the Weasel? What a complete and utter bastard! His excuse to open their relationship to seeing other people was just a way of getting permission from Connie to do just that! Sleep around without consequences. How Connie could respect him after that, I've no idea. He just wanted to get his leg over where ever possible because it was obvious he really didn't fancy Connie anymore.
Throughout the completely chaotic story, I felt for Connie. I really did. To be betrayed by those closest to you and then you are the one thrown in the psychiatric hospital because your frustrations, hurt, betrayal, and ever emotion collide to create a catastrophic event. When if it hadn't been for Ness and the Weasel and their complete betrayal and lies, none of it would have happened. Not that I condone someone doing what Connie did, but I understand. I understand her frustration, her hurt and her betrayal. I felt it in those pages. And it made me hate those two.
On a lighter note, the addition of excerpts of Annie's diary was a nice touch, as we got to see another perspective of the story as it unfolded through the eyes of a 9 year old. Although at 9, I could spell a lot better than Annie did. But it was a clever addition to the story...and rather amusing in parts.
The writing was very good. Hard-hitting and Natalie Daniels pulls no punches. It was also very visceral in that it really draws you in so you can feel the pain that Connie feels. For me this was Connie's story and no one else's. Everyone else was a player in Connie's story. Emma's story and POV was superfluous and I felt it really wasn't needed. Unless there was something in Emma's story to connect the two women - not even losing her daughter could do that. I just felt it didn't belong in the story.
Overall, the pace was frenetic and didn't let up but despite this I struggled. I kept going because I wanted to know what Connie did and what happened in the end. But for me the whole story fell flat. It was disappointing as I felt it could have been better. The ARC could have been better editted as the entire book was just one long story, and despite having chapters, I could not access them from the menu. As the book is to be released in a week, I would have thought it would be a little better presented. As my Kindle could not tell me how many minutes were left in each chapter (as I prefer) but only how many hours and minutes were left in the entire book, it made it difficult for me to plan my reading at times as I didn't know how long a chapter would be, as they seemed to go on forever. I prefer shorter fast paced chapters. I felt these were too long.
Having said all that, I did somewhat enjoy the story. I connected with Connie right away and felt her pain but it could have been better. It had promise but failed to completely deliver.
I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of #TooClose by #NatalieDaniels in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to #NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.
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