The Blurb (from Goodreads):
When Jessica’s partner disappears into the dark Tasmanian forest, there is of course the mystery of what happened to him. The deserted car; the enigmatic final image on his phone.
There is the strange circle of local women, widows of disappeared men, with their edgy fellowship and unhinged theories.
And the forest itself: looming hugely over this tiny settlement on the remote tip of the island.
But for Jessica there is also the tight community in which she is still a stranger and Matthew was not. What secrets do they know about her own life that she doesn't? And why do they believe things that should not—cannot—be true. For her own sanity, Jessica needs to know two things. Who was Matthew? And who—or what—has he become?
My Thoughts:
An eerie, atmospheric, and unsettling book set in modern-day Tasmania, written with a deft touch and beautiful, supple prose. Krissy Kneen takes a story of a young woman locked into a relationship with a charming but controlling man, and twists in touches of the gothic to create something really fresh and unusual.
Jessica Weir is a 30-year-old PhD candidate, studying glow-worms in subterranean caves in Tasmania. She lives with her boyfriend Matthew, who grew up in the small country town where they live and knows everyone. Jessica, however, knows nobody but him. And that should be enough, she keeps telling herself. One day Matthew doesn’t come home from work. His car is abandoned on the edge of the wilderness. His phone shows a video of an encounter with someone … something … on the road. But it’s too dark to be sure. Jessica tries to find out what happened to him, but grief and guilt and loneliness can be unhinging. Because, surely, what Jessica begins to believe has happened could not possibly be true …
You might also like to read my review of The Dry by Jane Harper:
https://kateforsyth.com.au/what-katie-read/vintage-book-review
