Wowzers, what the heck did I just read!
Who Is Maud Dixon? That is indeed the question. She is a novelist who has won critical acclaim and commercial success, but no one knows the identity of the person behind the pseudonym. Enter Florence Darrow, an assistant at a publishing company. She's not happy with her slavish job, but feels it's a stepping stone to becoming the famous and revered writer that she is meant to be. Unfortunately, she isn't getting any closer to her goal, until a series of choices upends her life and puts her on a collision course with destiny... and Maud Dixon.
And that's all I'm going to say regarding the plot, because anymore would be spoiling the goodies. In fact, don't read the official book blurb before going in. It pretty much gives away the entire first half of the story, which is crazy. I cannot believe how much information is just divulged, willy-nilly, right there on the book jacket.
(Seriously, publishers, if you're reading this, please stop oversharing in your blurbs and taking away the fun. I think 20% into a book is about the max that should be revealed. Definitely not 50%.)
The story unfolds slowly, and a good part of the fun is not really knowing where it's headed. There's this sense of ominous foreboding that permeates throughout. The feeling of dissonance, that something isn't quite right, hangs over Florence, and it ratchets up over time, little by little. This atmosphere reminds me of the best of classic noir, in the vein of Hitchcock.
Even though it takes a while to get to the denouement, the story still grabbed me from the very first page. The writing is so sharp and sly. And Florence is a cunning lead character. She's self-centered, unapologetic, and desperate to achieve her ambitions. She makes the perfect femme fatale... or is she just a victim in all this?
The fact that this is Alexandra Andrews' debut is astonishing, as it reads like a truly masterful thriller. I cannot wait to see what else she comes up with.
Readaroo Rating: 5 stars!
In my works of fiction the reader knows exactly what the ending will be, ie, they all live happily ever after. The pleasure of discovery is how people get from A to B. I have a literary style and I employ a process that I call genderalización so it is a bit different to most contemporary authors. Also the structure of my latest two-part novel is divided into vignettes, which creates a unique presentation for the double plotting. Thanks - Raymond Crane
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