Broken
The Fear by C.L. Taylor is a marvellous contemporary psychological thriller. It grips from the start as the reader holds on for a nail biting read.
This is not a pleasant read as the main theme is the grooming of teenage girls. There are no intimate details but the reader reads on with a sense of fear and in trepidation. We feel horror as we witness and recognise the manipulation techniques. Everything in me was screaming “don’t fall for his words.” Whether anyone did or not, you will have to read to find out.
The novel messes with your mind as it alternates between who has the upper hand.
The action is set in 1989 and 2007. Each chapter has a unique voice and is written in the first person. It is not confusing as each chapter is headed by the voice.
As I live in Worcestershire, it was wonderful to have a novel set here. I recognised places mentioned and was really in my element to see Kidderminster mentioned in the story!
The Fear shows there is a fine line between love and hate. “A longing for love… wrapped up in guilt, fear and regret.” It is a scary read as we see how easy it is to ruin lives. The fall-out has far reaching arms. We would like to believe that people change but do they? Or is history destined to repeat itself?
Broken homes produce broken people. Professional help is needed to recover. “I feel… permanently broken.”
Abuse produces some unlikely allies. See if you can guess who will band together?
The Fear is a compulsive read. It will consume, have you on the edge of your seat with your heart in your mouth as you read towards the conclusion.
C.L Taylor is a new author to me but I certainly intend to read more by her.
I received this book for free from Net Galley. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.
JULIA WILSON
Definitely adding this to my “to read” list. It sounds intriguing. My second novel (not released yet) is a first person, chapter by character, book. Those are fun to write. Fun to read as well.