Verity

I'll tell you a little story. Many years ago, I went to see the movie The Sixth Sense. It had been out for a few weeks and kept hearing over and over, "you're not going to BELIEVE the ending."

I took that as a challenge.

About 10 minutes into the movie, I whispered to my then-boyfriend (now-husband), "I think he's dead."

Yep.

I called it.

For the rest of the movie, I watched it through that lens. So, when the BIG REVEAL happened... I was like, "duh."

Why am I telling you this? Because that's pretty close to what happened to me with this book.

I can't remember where I read it, but I saw a review that said I absolutely needed to read this book. I had never heard of the author, but heard from people who were big fans of her writing. I worried it might be a reductive thriller, but I figured I might as well give it a shot.

The writing immediately was easy to read. Conversational, direct, etc. The plot itself is fascinating, too. A little-known author is asked to finish a series written by a prolific author named Verity. She's been in an accident, but few details have been released. A huge sum of money convinces her to give it a shot and she essentially moves into the family's home while she catches up on the previous books and prepares to write.

What she finds is an autobiography that reveals shocking, horrifying details no mother would ever want public. The details are about her own life and also the tragic deaths of the family's twin girls. She also finds Verity in a catatonic state.

Throughout the book, there is an extreme emphasis on the narrator's growing attraction to Verity's husband. In all aspects, he's portrayed as the perfect husband and father and Verity is depicted as the "crazy one." You can see where this is going... basically.

While there were times I found myself enthralled with this book, overall, it left me unsatisfied. The "twist" at the end insists upon itself. It goes on longer than necessary and leaves too many plot threads hanging.

I see why people would like it as an escapist novel. But, as a "good read"? Nah, not for me.