Monday, July 18, 2022

Magpie by Elizabeth Day

 


Hardback:  326 pages

Genre:  Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Fourth Estate 2021

Source:  Tywyn Public Library

First Sentences: The house was perfect. Well, not perfect exactly, because houses never are, but at least the imperfections were liveable with.

Review Quote:  ‘A pacy, stylish thriller in which suspense is accompanied by fist-pumping feminism and, perhaps toughest of all, hope.’ The Observer

My Opinion: I had never read any of Elizabeth Days work prior to this weekend. In fact, I had never come across this author until ‘Magpie’ was selected as our latest Book Club read. It was certainly different and as the genre of psychological thrillers goes worth five stars.

The protagonists of the novel are Marisa, Jake and Kate whose relationships become entwined and extremely intense as the storyline revolves around the heartbreak caused by infertility.

Difficult to say much without spoiling this one for the reader.  Will therefore just say it is a quick well written read, recommended for fans of psychological thrillers.



Précis Courtesy of Goodreads: 

Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple, and Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate--and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for a baby. Except no one is perfect. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly familiar with Jake, but Marisa doesn’t let it concern her. Kate will soon be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.

Conceiving a baby is easier said than done, though, and Jake and Marisa’s perfect relationship is put to the test through months of fertility treatments and false starts. To make matters worse, Kate’s boundary-pushing turns into an all-out obsession--with Jake, with Marisa, and with their future child. Who is this woman? Why does she seem to know everything about Marisa and Jake?

In her quest to find out who Kate really is, Marisa might destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create: her perfect romance, her perfect family, and her perfect self. Jake doesn’t know the half of what Marisa has created and what she stands to lose. Magpie is a tense and twisting novel about mothers and children, envy and possession, and the dangers of getting everything you’ve ever dreamed of.


Author Profile:         


Courtesy of Goodreads


Born in the UK on November 10th 1978 Elizabeth Day is an English journalist, broadcaster and novelist. She was a feature writer for The Observer from 2007 to 2016 and has written four novels. A full Biography can be read on her Website

Photographs and Biographical Information courtesy of the following sites:

Goodreads Author Page   Official Author Website   Facebook Page  Twitter Profile

Elizabeth Day - Instagram  Amazon Author Page

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