Into the Darkest Corner

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It would’ve been better if Haynes instilled some sense of urgency—or well, executed this instillation better because while I could see things changing for better and for worse during the first half, I couldn’t feel it. It’s convincing enough and it shows the reader a good contrast between how Cathy is ‘before’ and ‘after’. At least this time, though, Cathy has an ally, a neighbor who’s just moved to the apartment above her, Stuart. Lee is presented as everything a young woman could want: good-looking, sexy, sweet, romantic and great in bed.

As the chapters alternate between the two narratives and the two completely different versions of Catherine, we gradually come to learn what turned the 2003 Catherine into the even-scared-of-her-own-shadow one of 2007. While that obviously isn’t going to be for everyone, I appreciated how the author didn’t sugarcoat it in any way. Elizabeth Haynes is also the author of Revenge of the Tide, Human Remains, Never Aloneand The Murder of Harriet Monckton.Oh, and he's in undercover law enforcement -- another cliche -- so that the "heroine" conveniently finds herself unable to escape.

The only character who sides with Cathy, genuinely so, is a policewoman who doesn't appear until nearly the END of the novel. There was something just really creepy about reading those early warning signs that this guy was psycho. Although most of it is from Karen Cass with her lovely English accent we do have David Thorpe’s wonderful performance as well (also an English accent).Into the Darkest Corner is a very well done psychological thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I never thought that simple words on a printed page could create such fear that I’d be checking under the bed every night.

On top of that I think it was a tad too long and repetitive for my liking, though that repetition definitely did contribute to the sense of unease and anxiety that characterizes Cathy and this book in general. Its portrayal of obsession is one that will send a shiver down your spine and you'll hope that you are never in that position.One moment I believed her side of the story, and the next, I thought she was a total mental case, counting every single step up to her flat and checking things six times. Brilliant,this book starts off to a court case,going back and forth telling a story how she met Lee, to how she was not coping with ocd. From its uncompromising prologue – a young woman being bludgeoned to death in a ditch – Haynes's powerful account of domestic violence is disquieting, yet unsensationalist.

The two different writing styles are what makes this book so haunting; it’s like watching a car crash, you can see Cathy’s happy and party-like attitude slowly dissolving. This book is full of mundane details and would have benefitted greatly from an editor with half a clue. Even so, the ending is too convenient thanks to Lee’s final declaration of his true love (the ‘gift’) for Cathy and I feel that it would’ve been better had this book ended with the second last chapter. While the relationship starts off simply enough as time goes by Cathy starts to become afraid of Lee and his erratic temper.Obsessed with her and constantly watching her, he becomes abusive and turns her into a fearful wreck. Afraid of her own shadow and caught up in her OCD, Catherine must try to continue with her life whilst knowing that Lee is out there somewhere. This situation is a little like a frog in a pot of cold water, staying there as the temperature rises and rises until he’s fully cooked. However, the pacing is simply too slow, and that’s troubling because this is supposed to be a thriller.