Every summer it seems that the bookish market is inundated with books that promise to thrill you. In the last few years, with the rise of the Gone Girls and The Girl on the Trains, we’re constantly promised that this next book will follow in their glorious footprints.
It becomes hard to figure out which books are the real deal, and what is just noise.
Fiona Barton’s The Child is being marketed as exactly this: the heir to Flynn and Hawkins.
In the wake of gentrification throughout London, a building has been razed giving up it’s decades long secret: the skeletal remains of a baby. Kate Waters, a journalist bored by the directives to write about celebrities and royals, thinks that the case of the Building Site Baby could be something interesting to really sink her teeth into. Her efforts lead her to: Emma, an editor working from home, keeping secrets from her much older husband; Angela, whose baby vanished from the hospital more than 40 years ago; and Jude, Emma’s mother, a woman who has a very complicated relationship with her daughter and the truth.
I don’t think it’s the same kind of thrill ride that fans of Gone Girl would be looking for. Even for those of you looking for a tense, psychological thrill ride, I’m not sure The Child is for you.
But I did enjoy it as something else. A kind of exploration into the relationships of women, with each other, with the men in our lives, with the truth.
I saw the ending coming a mile away – which, if you’ve been a visitor to this blog for any amount of time, you will know is RARE. And even though I knew exactly how this was all going to go, I still enjoyed the getting there. Barton has done an excellent job painting these women at various stages of their lives, as they make decisions that may or may not have ramifications in the years to come.
I read this book in two sittings, completely absorbed in it, even if it might not have been the thrill ride I assumed I was in for. Barton does an excellent job layering the story and allows it to spider out in a number of directions that ultimately, are completely connected. There was a certain amount of enjoyment in being in on the twists – never did I feel like I wanted the getting there to hurry up. It didn’t feel drawn out or unnecessarily complicated.
It’s a safe recommendation for those who like the journey and don’t demand a shocking payoff.
Thanks to Penguin Random House of Canada for providing me with an ARC of this book.
The Paperback Princess 
I’m not sure I would like it if I could see the ending coming a mile away, but sometimes, you’re right, it’s the journey that’s fun.
This is a great review, just because I’m finding it difficult to review thrillers without repeating myself a million times. You’ve done a great job in keeping your review unique and honest, thank you!
I hear you! I have the same issue reviewing thrillers. I usually end up just writing spoiler discussions or not reviewing at all.
Great review! I actually thought this one was more fast-paced so it’s good to know beforehand that things are going a bit slower… And I don’t mind a predictable ending as long as the journey itself is interesting. š