William Trevor
1994
Around 240 pages
Well, that was unexpected. Honestly, I thought this was going to be a sort of Irish Sister Carrie...and it was not. So points for surprising me Trevor! But considering most of the tension of the story came from if this serial killer was going to attack a vulnerable woman, I found it to be an unpleasant read.
Felicia takes the ferry to England searching for the father of her unborn baby. He said he would be working in a lawnmower factory in the Midlands, but reading between the lines, it's more likely that he has joined the British army, which is just about the worst thing you can do in the eyes of Felicia's family. She ends up on the streets having run out of money, where she is "helped" by Joseph Hilditch, who offers her lodging and access to an abortion.
Trevor does a great job keeping things ambiguous and slowly building tension. It was not a novel that I wanted to exist in and I'm not sure what to make of the ending, although I can't air all my gripes without giving away some heavy spoilers.
Apparently the Listmakers weren't satisfied enough from The Collector, so we needed another book about a man who terrorizes women. Pass.
RATING: **---
Interesting Facts:
Interesting Facts:
Adapted into film in 1999.
Won the Whitbread Prize and The Sunday Express Book of the Year in 1994.
UP NEXT: Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres
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