Published By: Century
Pages: 400
Released On: 20/07/2023
Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summers crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th birthday. They are, in fact birthday twins.
A few days later, Alix and Josie bump into each other again, this time outside Alix’s children’s school. Josie has been listening to Alix’s podcasts and thinks she might be an interesting subject for Alix’s series. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Alix agrees to a trial interview. Josie’s life appears to be strange and complicated, and although Alix finds her unsettling, she can’t quite resist the temptation to keep digging.
Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has inveigled her way into Alix’s life – and into her home.
Soon she begins to wonder who is Josie Fair? And what has she done?
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Century for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
Most of this book is set over a six-week period, with new chapters working through day after day, which was a really interesting way to write it. It showed just how quickly someone’s life can change.
I’ve only relatively recently discovered Lisa Jewell’s books. I knew of her but hadn’t read any, but got sucked into the My Family Upstairs series, and I instantly loved them. And I’m slowly collecting her others. And this one is exactly how I expected it to be. It’s slick and crisp and thrilling and what I want now from a Lisa Jewell book.
I have only ever listened to one podcast episode, even though there’s hundreds I’m interested in. And it probably wasn’t the point of this book, but it’s definitely made me want to dive in to some. But maybe I’ll leave the true crime ones for later.
Josie was an…uncomfortable character. Brilliantly created, but just so…it’s hard to explain. She’s an awful person, that much is obvious pretty quickly. She’s very unusual, disquieting, uneasy, and just made me feel so uncomfortable. And Walter. I liked him by the end, but, I won’t go into too much detail as I don’t want to spoil it, but there was definitely this creepy aura about him. To begin with, I wasn’t too sure of Alix. There was something hiding behind the perfect surface that I was wary of, but she probably became my favourite out of everyone.
It doesn’t go full in straight away. It’s a slow drip-feeding story. Gives you enough to latch onto but holds enough back to keep you hooked. And then by the time you realise you’re caught, BAM! It twists and turns and goes full steam ahead and you’re sat there wide eyed with your hand over your mouth, wanting to take the time to process it all but desperate to see how it ends.
For me, it felt more about the complexities of humanity more than the thrill of the plot. Yes, there’s clearly a story happening – a stinking good one as well – but it’s this development of the two main women that I found so intoxicating.
It’s not written in a “normal” linear way. The present scenes are. But she’s also added podcast notes, TV scripts, interviews etc. And at first I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It took a little while to figure out but in hindsight, I don’t think the story could have been told any other way. It needs this complexity, this disconnection. It’s so visual, and she’s able to drip you little clues, so the story is partially building in your head and you’re eager for more, more, more, and it’s simply perfect.
It’s a real…I don’t want to swear…a head-fudge, if you will. You’re left wondering who or what to believe, who or what to trust, trying to read through the lines. It’s utterly fabulous.
As with each Lisa Jewell book I read, I long for the wait until the next one to be short. I just wish there was a new one to start every day, as my reading life is so much more enriched by her work.
Books By Your Bedside 