The Winter Girl by Matt Marinovich
Scott and Elise, a married couple from Brooklyn, journey to the
east end of Long Island to care for her dying father. Their marriage is in trouble and Elise
spending her days tending to her abusive father in the hospital only to return
to her childhood home at night isn’t making things between the couple any
better. Scott becomes obsessed with the
house next door, seemingly empty with lights on timers; he doesn’t have much to
occupy him as a photographer with little of interest to shoot in the bleak
island winter. One night Scott convinces
Elise to break in with him and a moment of passion is the turning point when
things start going disastrously wrong.
This is a short book, only 200 pages, and the most disturbing book
I’ve read in a long while. Towards the
end I found myself wondering, what is the most horrible thing I can imagine
happening next? And then it happened.
I was surprised that there were so many holds on a book I hadn’t
heard anything about. (I put it on hold
because it took place on Long Island, not sure how everyone else heard of
it.) Only for those that like their
thrillers extremely disturbing and lacking in hope.
