Book reviews

Book review: An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen


Title: An Anonymous Girl

Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Macmillan

Publication date: 27th December 2018

My rating: ★ ★ ★ 

Summary:

“‘Seeking women ages 18 – 32 to participate in a study on ethics and morality. Generous compensation. Anonymity guaranteed.

When Jessica Farris signs up for a psychology study conducted by the mysterious Dr. Shields, she thinks all she’ll have to do is answer a few questions, collect her money, and leave. But as the questions grow more and more intense and invasive and the sessions become outings where Jess is told what to wear and how to act, she begins to feel as though Dr. Shields may know what she’s thinking…and what she’s hiding. As Jess’s paranoia grows, it becomes clear that she can no longer trust what in her life is real, and what is one of Dr. Shields’ manipulative experiments. Caught in a web of deceit and jealousy, Jess quickly learns that some obsessions can be deadly.

My review:

My favourite element in Thrillers is the deceit and trickery used to allure the reader into a false sense of security and there is no doubt that this author duo dominates this superbly, as shown by their previous co-written books. I was instantly convinced by the blurb and could not wait to discover how they would incorporate the psychological manipulation into the story line.

In terms of storytelling only, this book left a lot to be desired. Many parts were overshadowed by the characters’ thoughts and emotions and it often felt like the main character, Jessica, was constantly analysing Dr Shields’ every move. The pace was uneven throughout and only picked up speed towards the end. However, the unexpected twists were nicely distributed and well executed.

Character development is a key feature in An Anonymous Girl and one which the authors mastered with ease. Jessica is an unreliable narrator and her constant questioning was sometimes irritating however this was contrasted by the fierce and cold Dr Shields and her husband. I didn’t know who I could trust and my suspicion for all three characters only increased with the twists. By the end I was wrong about many of my original feelings towards them which further highlights the distortion and cunning nature of these characters.

Ethics and morale are analysed in an interesting way however failed to truly backup the message the authors were trying to deliver. The questions in the survey were intimate and stimulating with the possibility to be interpreted in multiple ways. However, after reading Jessica’s answers it almost felt as if the authors were consciously trying to steer the reader towards the idea that her wrongdoings were sinful and draw more attention to her actions and behaviour. I would have preferred a more open minded approach to the ethics behind the survey as it seemed like this was purposefully done with the intention to justify Dr Shields’ decision to choose Jessica as her subject for the study even though her answers were not that shocking or appalling from an ethics standpoint.

The premise of An Anonymous Girl is original and exciting. The set of interesting characters and focus on the difference between right and wrong set the scene for a gripping thriller with several unexpected twists. It was an enjoyable book despite the lack of clear direction in the story line at times however I appreciate that it is mostly a character driven book. Fans of psychological thrillers will find a lot to love about this book.

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