The Good Friend by Jo Baldwin
Genre: Psychological drama, Thriller
Read: 14th February 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date - 21st February 2019)
★★★ 3.5 stars
If only she knew what kind of friend I really am!
THE GOOD FRIEND is the debut thriller by Jo Baldwin - however, I would use the term "thriller" loosely as it's not an edge-of-your-seat or a fast paced read. The tagline reads "Heavenly Creatures meets The Hand That Rocks the Cradle in this exciting debut novel about friendship, love and jealousy." I haven't seen "Heavenly Creatures" but I do remember "The Hand that Rocks the Cradle" and it does have an element of that style to it.
It is a different style of story and several times throughout I debated about whether I could finish the book as it was really slow moving to get going. I mean, there are slow starts and there slooooow starts. However, despite my apprehension I'm glad I stuck with it because it was a reasonably good read, but not exceptional. But don't let that stop you - the ending was a twist that many won't see coming but I suspected. It's not normally an ending I like as I prefer everything tied up in a nice little package by the end of the story, but this left a few loose ends and that cliffhanger ending you see in season finales of some our favourite shows. But despite that, I thought it a fitting ending considering the story.
Jenny and Kath have been best friends since childhood. They grew up together, did everything together and were completely inseparable. But Jenny left to pursue a swimming career in Australia but her heart still yearned for home in the UK, and most of all, for her soul mate she left behind - Tom. So after 8 years away, feeling burnt out from constant competition and solid training sessions, Jenny decides to visit her childhood friend in France, where Kath now lives with her husband...Tom. The moment Jenny sees Tom the electricity is clearly felt between them, making the reunion somewhat uncomfortable. The couple now have a 5 year old daughter, Rosa, together and Jenny finds her absolutely delightful. I did find Rosa to be a little older beyond her years throughout the book which left me questioning if I misread her age. However, Rosa proves to be a salve to the pain of seeing Tom again and married to another, bringing constant joy to her days as she teaches Rosa to swim. But Tom remains aloof towards Jenny which leaves her wondering if he still feels the same about her.
At first, the women fall back into their close relationship of old, laughing and reminiscing over old memories, but before long things begin to feel amiss. Kath appears to have changed...or is it Jenny? And why is Tom so distant? It isn't long before Jenny begins to see cracks in Kath's picture perfect world, beginning with the tension between her friend and Tom as well as her own relationship with Kath. Tom hints towards her being mentally ill and on anti-depressants but then discovers Kath has stopped taking her medication. Then Kath's strange and malicious behaviour leaves Jenny questioning if she really knew her friend at all?
This is when the book starts to get interesting. The reader feels a sense of anticipation wondering what Kath is going to do next. One can almost see the glint in her eye whenever she is around.
When Jenny finally sees the truth about her friend she feels shocked, hurt and most all of all, betrayed. Kath has played a sinister game to manipulate and control everyone around her - and Jenny is her biggest victim.
The story's slow build creates tension and unease as the sinister tale of friendship, secrets, deception, jealousy and revenge gradually unravels with an ending that leaves you unsettled. It is brooding, it is malicious, it is ominous, it is sinister.
THE GOOD FRIEND is not your average thriller, but it is still a thriller of sorts. I wasn't sure I would enjoy it but in the end I did...even if I didn't really like the characters. I felt they didn't have a lot of depth and there was an awful lot of narration, which I am not a huge fan of. I could tell from early on that Kath had a few screws loose. Though no actual diagnosis was mentioned, to me she felt a little bipolar but more like borderline personality disorder. She was sociopathic. She felt no empathy or remorse. The world revolved around her, in her eyes, and she manipulated everyone for her own ends. She was completely unlikeable.
For me, the rating loser is the death of Pilot. Anyone who knows me, knows I cannot stand the death of a dog in a story - book or movie - and I even stopped reading one depressing story after one dog's cruel death. However, Pilot's death leaves you with questions also as to what happened and how it happened? And THE GOOD FRIEND certainly leaves you unsettled with many questions unanswered.
I wouldn't say THE GOOD FRIEND was brilliant, but then it also depends on your expectations. It is pitched as a thriller but I would say it was more of a psychological drama in the fact that it's Jenny who is facing the unknown, whereas we as the reader can plainly see that Kath is the problem. The reader doesn't have that edge-of-your-seat psychological thrill, and yet the story is incredibly psychological...just not in the thriller kind of way. That is why many are disappointed with the book - being pitched as a genre that can include many different "sub genres". A thriller that is not really a thriller, but it still fits under that genre being psychological. I guess we expected more of a thriller than it was.
I'd still recommend to give it a go. It isn't what you expect at first but you can still quite clearly see what's going on from early on...and that leaves you wondering just how it is all going to end. And while it is not normally my type of ending, it really is a good but unexpected ending - and completely unsettling.
I would like to thank #JoBaldwin, #NetGalley and #RedDoorPublishing for an ARC of #TheGoodFriend in exchange for an honest review.
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