Into the Darkest Corner Review – 9/20 2015 Books

I love sharing what I am reading, getting feedback and recommendations on my blog. As I mentioned before I joined Goodreads and set myself the challenge of reading 20 books by the end of the year. You can see what my first 8 books this year were here, I’ve been pretty bad at writing mini reviews after finishing my books so there are a few to review but my ninth book was ‘Into the Darkest Corner’ by Elizabeth Haynes.

My sisters work friend told her about Into the Darkest Corner so it was recommended to me as something I might be interested in, a book told by the same person four years apart. Into the Darkest Corner is told to you by Catherine Bailey, a young girl finding love in 2004 and an anxiety racked introvert in 2008, ruled by OCD.

Into the Darkest Corner is a dark, psychological thriller that chronicles this new relationship, blossoming in 2004 and gradually showing its disturbing demise. Not for the squeamish or sensitive this story of horrific domestic abuse doesn’t skimp on violent details of abuse or rape. Elizabeth Haynes gives a raw, relatable narrative, maybe because she currently works as a police intelligence analyst.

It is unsettling to see the shift in both characters, her new partner Lee slowly become more jealous and controlling, attentiveness turning to stalking and seeing Catherine become more isolated from her friends and begin her OCD tendencies.

The tale of Into the Darkest Corner is gripping, a meticulously planned escape where you are wishing for an outcome you know didn’t and cannot happen.  Some scenes will send a chill through you and others will turn your stomach. You feel her fear but at the same time know that when the Catherine of 2008 is narrating she is suffering from mental illness and you cannot always trust her paranoia’s. At no point do you see her she as a victim but you do feel frightened for her against this very believable, manipulative modern-day villain.

Although I understand that the Elizabeth Haynes needed to stress and really drive home to the reader how affected Catherine in 2008 was, I found the first half repetitious. A major part of her OCD is that she must check the security of her home over and over again. It shows how cruel the disease is as well as the change in her character, it just became a little monotonous to read the same actions repeated over and over.

Other than that Into the Darkest Corner was a good read, showing that anyone can find themselves in a controlling domestic abuse situation as well as the havoc and vulnerability it can bring if friends are told but do not listen.