October 29, 2017

Review: The Child by Fiona Barton

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I was about partway through The Child by author Fiona Barton when I realized that the novel was a sequel to The Widow. Upon realizing this, I did set the book down for a moment, semi-anxious because I’ve been meaning to pick up The Widow but just never had a chance. Then I realized that The Child hadn’t spoiled anything about its predecessor’s plot, and The Widow was just as mysterious to me as the identity of the murdered infant who propelled The Child’s plot forward. That being said, I read The Child as though it were a standalone, and I’ll admit that I fell in love with it right away.

              The Child is one of those novels that is unnerving in its entirety. Not even once did I fully understand just what thoughts were ticking through the cast of character’s heads, and the story was constantly shrouded in mystery and questions. Just when I thought that I was beginning to have an idea of what was going on, of why a certain character behaved the way she did, of where the story was going, Barton would pull the rug out from under my feet and leave me reeling.

              I was thoroughly intrigued by the novel, and just like our protagonist, Kate, I too wanted to know who the unearthed baby was. The novel does deal with many dark and depressing themes, such as child abduction, murder, and sexual assault. However, I didn’t find the novel to be one that weighed me down and left me loathing its conclusion. Quite the opposite, I found The Child to be a breath of fresh air when it comes to murder mystery, and thought it was a unique story told in an original way.

              The novel did jump from point-of-view to point-of-view, but I enjoyed getting to live in the headspace of different characters throughout the story. No two characters were written alike, and I have to say that they were all well-rounded and believable. The psyche of certain characters were twisted and raw, and despite how horrible some characters were, I couldn’t help but like them. Personally, my favorite character was Jude, who was so unpredictable and left me guessing at what would happen next.

              The Child is a novel that’s difficult to talk about without giving anything away. But I will say that it was an impressive read, and it has me even more excited to get reading The Widow. If you’re a reader who has read Barton’s work before, then this novel will certainly be a treat.

              Additionally, I would recommend The Child to any readers who are looking for a serious, realistic, gritty mystery novel. Any readers who are looking for a novel that leaves you constantly on the edge of your seat should also give it a try. Lastly, any readers who are fans of novels that are well thought out and written expertly should also give it a shot.

[about-author author=”Fiona Barton”]