A Book A Week

Stacy Willingham's first book, A Flicker in the Dark, showcased the author's talent for crafting unique psychological thrillers, and her subsequent novel, All the Dangerous Things, reinforced this skill. Now, she returns with another thriller that maintains this trend while exploring new territory. Only If You're Lucky sees the author present her most personal and intricate novel to date. I received a copy of the book and its audiobook from Willingham's publisher and was excited to delve into it.

Margot, always preferring the sidelines of life, remains a reserved observer even as she enters a small liberal arts school in South Carolina. Her initial college year is marked by playing it safe—studying, earning good grades—hardly altering her introverted nature. Lucy Sharpe, her polar opposite, possesses a charismatic, attention-grabbing personality. Margot is taken aback when, at the end of the year, Lucy, with whom she has minimal interaction, proposes they room together in an off-campus house. Against her instincts, Margot agrees.

Now residing with three other girls—Lucy, the ringleader; Sloane, the sarcastic one; and Nicole, the kind one—Margot is thrust into a dynamic mix of contrasting personalities. As the year unfolds, Margot, who has long concealed herself since a tragic event following her high school graduation, gradually emerges from her protective shell. Margot and Lucy develop a close friendship, but by the midpoint of their sophomore year, a brutal murder of one of the fraternity boys from the neighboring house shakes their world, and Lucy Sharpe goes missing without a trace.

In Only If You're Lucky, Stacy Willingham crafts a psychological thriller delving into the complexities of friendship, loyalty, and betrayal. The narrative hints at the women having committed something significant and concealing secrets, creating an enticing undertone that propels the plot. The story unfolds exclusively from Margot's perspective, intertwining flashback recollections with moments of grappling with the murder's aftermath, intensifying suspense. Karissa Vacker's narration in the audiobook vividly brings Margot's voice to life.

Despite the eagerness to unravel the story's secrets, my interest waned in the protagonist, Margot, compared to the compelling supporting characters. The mysterious allure of Lucy captivated me, but the narrative confined us to Margot's viewpoint. As the novel advanced, my engagement with the entire narrative dwindled, and even the thrilling twists towards the end couldn't compensate for my growing disinterest in the central character. While Willingham's adept plotting and keen character observations persist, Only If You're Lucky marks the first disappointment for me from this otherwise talented author.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2024, 6)

In the past couple of years, books that have a boarding school setting have become a kind of subgenre all of their own. There's something so tantalizing about the community dynamic and often simultaneous isolation that a boarding school can offer. Publishers often gravitate toward trends in their novels (see all the thrillers with "girl" or "lie" in the title), so it should come as no surprise that books that take place in or around a boarding school have become the latest trend. I really enjoyed Simone St. James's The Broken Girls, and J.T. Ellison's Good Girls Lie, both novels that featured a boarding school setting. When Elisabeth Thomas's publisher offered me a copy of her debut novel Catherine House to review, it was partly the promise of another mysterious educational institution story that convinced me to read and review it.

What would you sacrifice for the guarantee of success? Behind the formidable black iron gates of the forested estate lies Catherine House, an institution renowned for higher learning. Getting into the revered school is no easy task. Catherine House is well-known for being nearly impossible to gain admission to. Equally infamous is the school's experimental approach to pedagogy. Still, entrance into Catherine House leads to almost certain success. Its students have gone on to be the top in their fields, no matter what the concentration of study. Even better, students of Catherine House pay no tuition and live at the school for free. Admission to the school is not without cost. In exchange for the promise of power and prestige, students must sacrifice three years of their lives, living every moment of those three years at the school, unplugged from their family, friends, and society at large. Would you take that deal?

Catherine House is the last place Ines ever thought she would find herself. She is more used to the decadence of the nightlife than the strict rigors of academia. Still, Ines is excited at the opportunity for a better life that Catherine House promises to provide. She immediately bonds with another girl at the school who is also eager to find acceptance amongst her peers and the world at large. As the pair begins their time at the school, they soon see that things are not how they anticipated at all. Ines's penchant for drugs and casual sex is actually encouraged. The school's director wants all the students to explore and experiment to truly connect to themselves and find their voice within the institution. The faculty is equally unconventional. There's even a highly secretive and mysterious field of study called new materials that only the highest achievers are invited to study. As Ines starts to navigate the strange world of Catherine House her feelings of liberation and possibility give way to an underlying sense of unease. She's promised three years of her life to this place and can't help but start to feel like that might have been a mistake.

In her debut novel Catherine House author Elisabeth Thomas paints a chilling portrait of the sacrifices one makes in the name of ambition. She deftly writes of the Gothic halls of Catherine House, establishing a sense of place that fills each page with equal parts dread and sensuality. There is something about this place that makes the reader suspicious while nevertheless drawing them deeper inside. While the publisher promises a "suspenseful page-turner", I found Catherine House to be much more of a slow burn. The book takes a while to find its narrative footing. The world that Thomas is building is wonderfully rich, but the story that takes place in this world is less sure of itself. It wasn't until the halfway point that I felt the novel gained a true sense of purpose and direction. It was at that point that the pages started to turn a bit faster, making me feel more connected to the main character's drive to discover the secrets behind the school's pristine facade. The revelations were satisfying, though I'm not sure they necessarily delivered on the buildup of the entire book. In the end, Elisabeth Thomas's Catherine House will probably generate a mixed reaction depending upon your personal tastes or mood. It leaned a bit too far into focusing on world-building over the plot for me, but I'll still be happy to read more from this promising new author.

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads.
(2020, 28)