I'll start with the good. The premise and pacing of the book are good. It is compulsively readable and builds a nicely ominous sense of foreboding regarding Branson's journey from 'static' to 'shadow people'to....no spoilers. I appreciated that Tara was a fully formed mother character with her own poise and concerns and storylines that brought Branson's issues more into focus.
Things that I wanted but didn't quite get. With as much time is devoted to Tara, the mother, I was expecting her to take part in some kind of plot twist regarding Branson's mysterious mental issues. As a mother, I was with her in her concern for her son but since this is billed as a psychological thriller, I wanted something dark and twisty to come from her that never emerged.
I found some of the dialogue really improbable, especially between Tara and her younger daughter, Carson. The insights that were coming from a middle-school-age girl were incredibly improbable. I would have liked to have seen those come from the therapist
I get why the author chose not to give Trevor his own chapter until later in the book, but he was honestly the most interesting character and I wanted so much more of him starting back with the inciting incidents when Branson started manifesting his symptoms.
As my star review indicates, it's not a bad novel but, with a few enhancements, it had the potential to be so much better.
I received a copy of this book pre-publication in exchange for an honest review.
