Customer Reviews

Into the Darkest Corner

5 star:		(826)
4 star:		(113)
3 star:		(44)
2 star:		(20)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

As a rule I don't read crime or thrillers. It's not that I haven't enjoyed some (I have) it's simply that there's so much out there and only so much time. And I tend to be drawn to other genres.
However, I heard about this début on Twitter and I had to give it a go. I am SO glad that I did. It's fantastic. Many readers have said what a page turner it is, and I would whole-heartedly agree, but what makes this special is that we know from the outset that Lee is a bad 'un, that no good will come of Catherine's relationship with him, yet Haynes still manages to build almost unbearable tension as Catherine slips from good-time, confident girl to security obsessed, gibbering wreck and back again thanks to the love and concern of neighbour Stuart. Or does she?
The ambiguity of the ending was another thing I loved about this book. Just like the characters it felt real and all too believable. I've heard it said that many crime novels tie things up nicely at the end. That the bad get their just desserts and the good live happily ever after. And it is this deviation from the real world that lends them much of their appeal. With its first person, chatty narration, Into the Darkest Corner flows well and is easy to read. But it is not a comfortable read,and nor should it be. Prepare to be gripped, appalled and stunned. This is a fabulous début. Elizabeth Haynes has a crime convert in this reader. I look forward to her next.

Having felt a bit confused by the first three apparently unconnected changes in time, (over the first three or four pages) I suddenly realised how the time-shifts functioned and from then on I was utterly gripped by this wonderful thriller. I basically devoured it in two days, and then went back to read it a second time straight away, able now to take it more slowly and enjoy the crafting of the narrative, which is beautifully put together, and very clever.

I don't want to risk any spoilers, so won't talk about plot at all. You just need to read it. But be warned - at times this is a seriously scary book - if you read it late at night, do check the locks on the doors and windows before you settle down.

Told from the point of the view of a female victim, this first novel is utterly gripping, extremely well told and considerably more detailed and textured than the typical crime thriller.
The story seems to peer behind a typical local news story, the type of two-minute item which says that 'a man was sentenced to three years for assaulting his girlfriend' without going into any depth. In 'Into the Darkest Corner' Elizabeth Haynes has examined how a young woman could enter into a destructive, controlling relationship, and what might happen to her in the years after it ends. So far as the public is concerned, a trial and conviction might be the end of the matter, but for the protagonist of this book it's just part of her personal, horrible journey.
The narrative is split into two timelines which is a confusing device at first, but you soon become used to the action jumping between 'then' and 'now'. The plot and characters would have worked fine without using this slightly artifical style of writing, but the juxtaposition of the heroine's original character and behaviour alongside her current incarnation is artfully intelligent and underlines the catastrophic effect of the ordeal she has undergone.
The author's depiction of obessive-compulsive disorder is also masterful. For those lucky folk who have no neurosis or hang-ups, the description of the girl feeling forced to check, and re-check and check again that her door is secured should give some insight into what it's like to lose control over your own destiny, actions and intellect.
And if all that sounds very up itself and worthy, don't be put off in any way. 'Into the Darkest Corner' works on many levels -- it's a rip-roaring page-turner even if the psychological stuff doesn't ring your bells. An amazingly accomplished first novel. Definitely an author to watch.
9/10

This is the best psychological thriller I have read in years. It kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. I have now got a long list of friends waiting to read this gripping story. At first, the time changes bothered me as it's not a style I am comfortable reading but after only a few pages I realised how well this was going to work for this book. What makes it so scary is that the plot line is a touch too realistic for comfort. The events in this book really could happen. Nothing seems to far fetched and it even brings in the topic of OCD in a very senstive and enlightening manner. The author made me care about the main character and continue to care long after I'd finished the book. Haynes really breathes life into all of the characters and I soon knew who I loved and who I hated - as well as who I was terrified of! A brilliant book and one I can't praise enough. I am definitely going to be looking out for more by Elizabeth Haynes.

The book opens with in May 2005, with a transcript of a scene set in Lancaster Crown Court. Lee Brightman is giving evidence against Catherine who he says had some emotional problems and was violent towards him. He confesses he did hit her, once in `self defence'. At once we have a sense of how their relationship ended. The author then cleverly weaves Catherine's story between two timeframes: her time with Brightman in 2003/4 and later in 2007/8.

Catherine, pre Lee, is vivacious and outgoing and anything but a victim and her descent into a life abuse and isolation is shocking and so believable. She is reduced to a lonely, terrified woman with OCD and PTS, constantly in thrall to her checking the security of her home and restricting her life. As a reader you engage with Catherine right from the beginning as she talks about her compulsive need to check the locks on the door to her flat over and over again whilst acknowledging how ridiculous it is.

Gritty, tense, compulsive reading, you actually can feel your anxiety grow as you read certain passages and you have no idea how this will end. The pacing is superb with the author slowly building a feeling of unease, tension and suspense until you are almost as wound up as Catherine.

This is an edgy and powerful first novel, utterly convincing in its portrayal of obsession, and a tour de force of suspense.

One of my books of the year

This is the first novel by Elizabeth Haynes, and it's one that I can imagine some people will like a lot, others will struggle to finish, and yet others will just think 'meh'. The promotional blurb declares "This is an edgy and powerful first novel, utterly convincing in its portrayal of obsession, and a tour de force of suspense", but this is only partly true - especially with regard to the suspense element because for me there was very little of it. In fact, it was all rather predictable.

It was interesting though, at least at first, because it quite intimately tackles the trauma one particular woman faces in the aftermath of a period of violent domestic abuse and controlling behaviour that culminates in an arrest, narrated in the first-person in a slightly unusual way by flicking backwards and forwards in time to portray events leading up to and the weeks and months after the end of a relationship that starts in high passion but ends in utter misery.

The examinations of obsessive compulsive disorder are interesting but after a while - and the behaviour spans the entire length of the novel - it does become rather tedious. It eventually becomes clear that the OCD and the woman's fear of being stalked and invaded are pretty much what most of this story is about. There's not enough variety, no sub-strands or multi-layering, and the number of prominent characters is very low. There are frequent episodes of modestly explicit sex but these are necessarily graphic because of their relevance to the central theme of abuse. The problem is, while it is often fascinating, it does occasionally feel like a fictionalised account of real-life events as opposed to a work of beautiful prose, and the reading experience is akin to a peep-show at times and curiously underwhelming despite the relentless examinations of the suffering woman's anxiety attacks and general despair.

For lack of suspense and thrills, and plain-vanilla prose, I'd have to mark it as weak, but the detailed (if over-done) fascinating and authentic examinations into the psychological pain of domestic abuse save it from getting a thumbs-down. A curious mixture of the good and the mundane, and desperately in need of a dramatic twist at the end - which never came, needless to add. For the record, I much preferred Alice Sebold's Lucky, despite being non-fiction, as it explored similar issues but was much more entertaining to read.

This novel is quite good but it's really nothing to get excited about, if you enjoy suspense and tension I can think of a whole shelf-full of alternatives that actually do deliver the goods in those areas.

This was an incredibly well written psychological thriller that looks at the impact an abusive relationship can have on its victim. It had me hooked right from the start and I couldn't put it down, reading it in one sitting. It is frightening and disturbing but there is nothing at all sensationalist about it, merely a chilling believability that will really make the reader think and a heightened sense of expectation that you just know something bad is going to happen.

This is a dual narrative story, telling of Cathy's life in 2003 whereby she meets Lee and back then is a confident, outgoing woman- and that of her life in 2007 when she has changed immeasurably. She is living alone and suffers from OCD and panic attacks, living in a constant state of fear. By alternating the chapters to both past and present, the reader learns just what has happened in Cathy's life to make her the person she is now, and just how damaging some relationships can really be.

As I've said, this was a very compelling read. As the narrative alternates between the past and the present, as a reader you come to understand exactly why Cathy is the way she is and just what her relationship with controlling Lee has done to her state of mind and personality. The contrast between bubbly, outgoing Cathy of 2003/2004 and the fraught, anxious state she is in 2007/2008 is a real eye-opener. The characters are very well crafted and utterly believable- particularly as hidden dark sides are slowly unveiled as the twists and turns of the story unfold. The author has clearly carried out a lot of detailed research into her subject matter and should be commended for it. In terms of the portrayal of Cathy's OCD, a few reviewers have commented that this comes across as a bit monotonous, but I actually felt the opposite and that it just added another dimension of believability to the plot. I empathised with her completely, imagining just how trapped and isolated she felt about having to go around such routines on a repeated basis.

I have deducted a star merely because I did feel it was a little bit contrived to have Cathy's new neighbour be a psychologist- someone who would immediately `get her.' I also didn't really like how Cathy and her friends were portrayed as good time girls who merely go out drinking and flirting- they were depicted as a bit flighty, and I didn't like Cathy's friends' lack of response to her relationship with Lee, either.

I have to say that I am not surprised that this book is receiving such accolades though- it is remarkably well written with intense twists and turns that will leave the reader on tenterhooks. I am very glad that I read it, despite the disturbing subject matter- though I will concede that it may hit some people hard, so proceed with caution. I know I will be recommending it to my friends at least and I cannot wait to read more works by this author- it is hard to believe this is only her debut novel!

I was looking forward to receiving this book after reading the other reviews and I was not let down. From the moment i picked it up I enjoyed every moment and finished the book last night wanting it to keep on going. I will look forward to reading the next book from the author. I would recommend this book without a doubt, its already made its way to my friends house.

I won't repeat the other reviewers that it takes (all of) a few pages to get into this book, as needless to say like the other reviewers once I was hooked that was it: laundry, dishes and child forgotten as I gave in to what is an imaginative, original and, well, thrilling thriller.

What I found so interesting about the book is that it blurs the boundaries between crime and literary fiction: not only is this a great story with all the necessary twists and turns of a great crime novel, but its journey into the mind of one woman's battle with OCD must surely also lend it that lofty label 'literary fiction.'

Which is not to say this is a heavy read. On the contrary. It is absorbing, pacy and, at times, chilling. A must read for lovers of any literary genre.

This really is an excellent book. I read a lot of books, and quite a few crime-type thrillers. This is one of the best I have read. It is utterly terrifying and full of suspense. A real page turner. The descriptions of OCD and the trials of a sufferer are spot on. The story of Cathy's relationship with her violent partner is told with such skill that it is literally terrifying to read - like watching a Hitchcock horror. Highly recommended.