An interesting read about the journey of a woman and her past with impeccable writing – you might like The Seduction by Joanna Briscoe.

The plot:

Beth lives in the tree-shrouded no-man’s land by Camden Lock with her partner Sol and their daughter Fern. Life is peaceful, but Beth is troubled with increasing unease. It could be the uncertainty over her mother, who disappeared when Beth was a child. Or it could be her sense that Fern is keeping secrets from her.

So she goes to therapy. Dr Tamara Bywater is there to help her patients. But what if the very person who is meant to be the solution becomes the most dangerous problem of all?

And why is what’s bad for us so enticing?

A first-class example of perfect writing

I did think this was going to be more thriller-y than it was; I really got the impression from the synopsis that some big twist was going to happen and kept willing it to. It’s a fast-paced book with a good premise, but it’s only a 3/5 stars for me.

The dynamic between the characters is fantastic. If we take the protagonist, we see her interactions with others, in both the past and present. The protagonist is facing problems with mental health, and her relationships with her daughter and the continued angst with the mother. The Seduction has been an eye-opening way to see family relationships, whilst we see the protagonist spiralling beyond control.

There are some intense moments, especially when as the reader, you can see the manipulation, but know the character is not seeing this.

The writing is out of this world – a first-class example of perfect writing, in my opinion. The way Briscoe described something as simple as the smells of London, or the layout of a room – helping you to get lost in Beth’s world.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, which I think again relates to fact I was expecting a twist. It just felt very rushed, but this could be countered with my comment of it being more about the journey; it just felt like a cop-out.

It’s one I’m considering re-reading in the future, now I can set that standard on the genre – perhaps I missed things which would have made it more emotive, but I got fed up of Tamara and Beth quickly, and when this takes up all the pages of the book, it wasn’t as enjoyable.

The writing really upped the rating – it was divine.

The Seduction, Joanna Briscoe, RRP £16.99 (hardback); Book Depository 

Pages: 369

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publisher

Genre: Fiction