THE QUIET TENANT

4 stars out of 5

Overall, my impression of this story is that it's a little confusion mixed with a lot of melodrama. Still, as I'd be likely to say about any book about a serial killer and a woman he's held captive for an almost unbelievable five years, it didn't fail to capture and hold my attention throughout. Told primarily through the perspectives of three main characters - the captured-but-not-yet-murdered victim, known as Rachel, the killer's 13-year-old daughter, Cecilia, and the woman who wants to be his girlfriend, Emily - it delves into each of their psyches amid what can only be called the worst times of their lives.

The kidnapper-killer is Aiden Thomas, who is for the most part well thought of in his community, working as a utility lineman. Clearly, he's been plying his extracurricular trade for some time - after all, we hear from Rachel the trials and tribulations of her long confinement in his shed as well as get glimpses from other victims - but when his wife dies, he seems to go off the deep end. He becomes overly protective of Cecilia; is his interest more sinister than that? Inquiring minds, including Rachel's and mine, want to know. Then, he's forced to move from the home he shared with his late wife that - exactly why that happened isn't clear to me, either. And for some inexplicable reason, he continues to keep Rachel a prisoner instead of doing away with her as he did with others- another mystery that never was fully resolved in my mind (and maybe not in his and definitely not in hers).

The plot thickens after they all move to a new house and Rachel becomes an imprisoned "tenant" in an upstairs bedroom - but who, surprisingly, is allowed to interact with Cecilia on a limited basis. As would be expected under the circumstances, Rachel begins to fight with herself - should she do as she has been doing and simply play along to stay alive or come up with an escape plan that has just as much chance (and probably more) of ending up dead as alive? 

The ending, while satisfying by some measures, seemed a little perfunctory (no hints here, of course, except to say it couldn't have been that simple). I'm pretty sure many fans of psychological drama (and trauma) will enjoy this one; it's not quite my cup of tea, but at the same time, I really didn't want to put it down. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Quiet Tenant by Alison Gaylin (Knopf, June 2023); 320 pp.