The Safe House by Louise Mumford

In my opinion...

A fascinating and uncomfortable tale, with some neat twists towards the end.

The setting is claustrophobic, with mother & daughter having lived in a bunker for 16 years to keep Esther 'safe'. In spite of this Esther emerges as a sympathetic character regardless of her mother's obsessive and extreme behaviour.

My main criticism is that I found it hard to believe just how easily Esther adapts to the changes to her life which occur and doesn't seem particularly overwhelmed and shocked.

Regardless, I found the concept intriguing and the book hard to put down.

Want to know more?

She told you the house would keep you safe.

She lied.

Esther is safe in the house. For 16 years, she and her mother have lived off the grid, protected from the dangers of the outside world. For 16 years, Esther has never seen another single soul.

Until today.

Today there’s a man outside the house. A man who knows Esther’s name, and who proves that her mother’s claims about the outside world are false. A man who is telling Esther that she’s been living a lie.

Is her mother keeping Esther safe—or keeping her prisoner?

My rating...

An uncomfortable 3.5-4 glasses....

Thank you HQDigital & NetGalley for my ARC