The struggle with perfection is a moral implication that society has forced you to perform behaviors instead of truly living for yourself. This is a story about a narcissist who destroys everyone around her for personal gain and temporary pleasures. The way this has resonated with me was how impactful narcissists can be with an intent to harm and weigh down my sense of self – this hit hard. The façade of perfection being achievable is what creates the horror in this novel. This is a slow paced read through that really earns the eerie trophy through a reprehensible action of just one narcissist.
The third person was difficult for me to get into the narrative in the first three chapters but it grew on me. Because even with this third perspective we are experiencing the dreams with the protagonist and feeling like we are losing our minds with them. We are losing the sense of reality and how to be able to rely on the narration with how well it is written. The monotony of playing the behavior handbook of domesticity is loud in the pacing of the narrative.
I love the themes these narrative presents and it really makes me question, how do we measure luck? If happiness is a measure then how does that perspective change from person to person? Sometimes the transitions between chapters felt abrupt and I needed to reread the last few lines to fully gather my thoughts in the current setting – but this was a delightful but dark read. What completely factored into my rating was the combination of pacing and the thriller aspects being nearly too subtle. Thank you Net Galley and Creature Publishing for the opportunity to read this digital arc in advance and then provide an honest review!