The Best Friend
- Shalini Boland
- Oct 20, 2016
- 2 min read
WOW - this one of the most tense and gripping psychological thrillers I've read. From the first page I was absorbed into Louisa's life – how she kept seeing the same man across the road, outside the school gates and following her home. Louisa and Jared have just put their son, Joe, into a new school and Louisa is so pleased that Joe has found a new friend, Tyler, and that he seems to be settling and fitting in to his new school. Louisa is even more pleased when Tyler's mum, Darcy, asks her to join her circle of friends and invites both her and Joe round to her house after school. Louisa and Darcy get on so well and Darcy is so kind and helpful that they soon become firm friends. But then little things start to chip away in Louisa's mind, why does Darcy do some really cruel and thoughtless things, why does she hurt her feelings so much yet not realise? and that man is still following her around.
This is one of the best descriptive stories of how a normal confident woman is gently but firmly brought down – chip, chip away – taking away her confidence, making her seem weak and neurotic to her husband and family to the point that no one believes her. And then, when she is at her lowest point, Darcy's real plans come action and Louisa's already failing life becomes a nightmare and falls into total devastation.
Shalini Boland's writing is tight, to the point, and with no unnecessary waffle. The story is taut, really has you on the edge of your seat, and the plot is unusual and totally engrossing. This is the second psychological thriller I've read by Shalini Boland and she's very quickly become a favourite and an author I shall definitely seek out in future. If you want a fast, gripping story I can certainly recommend this book.
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