Take Me In by Sabine Durrant

TAKE ME IN 

Sabine Durrant 

Well I don't know about you, but Take Me In is the perfect title for this book as I was completely taken in with this book and cannot get the characters out of my head! Sabine Durrant has produced a novel that unsettles the reader and then gradually builds the suspense and sense of threat until by the end of the book the tension is almost unbearable. 

Pulling no punches the novel opens with a tense and heavy atmosphere as we join Tessa and Marcus on holiday with their three year old son. They are not a happy couple; they are stressed out, struggling with a work / life balance and with the demands a young child places on a family and a marriage. Durrant's depiction of Marcus is very clever; he's not that likeable, but it's not so overdone that we feel he his unredeemable. We have enough interest in him to see how his story will develop and Durrant expertly judges her portrayal of someone who is more unlikeable that likeable. There are aspects of his character every one can relate to - or have seen in other people they know, and as perhaps Tessa is also struggling with her own self esteem and feelings towards Marcus we are intrigued - or voyeuristic - enough to want to see what happens to this couple as they attempt to holiday together. 

At the beginning of their holiday there is an absolutely heart stopping moment when they realise Josh is in the water, face down. These pages are so well written I could see the whole horror of the event unfolding before my eyes. I could feel the confusion, upset, terror and pain of the parents as they rushed down to the water's edge and quite frankly, this is a scene that I will have to try very hard to forget this summer when I am on the beach with my own children. Luckily for Marcus and Tessa, another man from the beach is able to rescue Josh who is unharmed and quickly reunited with his parents. Durrant's skill is in her choice of detail - the glance, the unspoken words that hang in the air, a character's inability to articulate their feelings, their reactions to those around them and their internal voice trying to process what has happened. She is able to reveal so much from very little. The reader's reactions to the characters are strong, emotional and judgemental - and I am sure this has all been very deliberately orchestrated by the author so that she can then weave a  compelling story of blame, guilt, obligation and obsession. 

After this dreadful holiday, that sees the couple under more pressure and more at odds with each other, Tessa and Marcus return home but Dave Jepson, the man who saved Josh's life, seems to keep reappearing in their lives. They have thanked him, they have rewarded him but still they seem more beholden to him. Dave's appearances seem well explained but there is something more threatening and suspicious about him. There is something that doesn't feel right and ultimately it stops Tessa and Marcus from moving on with their lives and trying to forget the horrible moment when another man saved their son. 

The story is told from the point of view of both Marcus and Tessa with the simple chapter headings of 'Him' and 'Her'. This is very effective and allows the same moment to be seen from both points of view. It also allows us to see the feelings of each character and helps to create more tension in the dynamics between them. It also, and this is the most delicious part, allows us to see the secrets they are also keeping from each other. As Dave Jepson seems to become more of a shadow over them both, so comes a further darkness from the games Tessa and Marcus are playing and the secrets they are trying to keep from each other. 

What is so enjoyable about this slow burning, taut, domestic thriller is how the man who was the couple's saviour, soon becomes their biggest threat. He judges them. He sees their flaws, their weak spots and their problems. He remains aloof, unreadable and unpredictable so that Tessa and Marcus find themselves fearful of this man they let into their lives rather than grateful. 

This novel reminded me of Michelle Sacks 'You Were Made For This' which also features slightly unlikeable characters whose marriage is darker than the polished facade it presents. It also reminded me a little of 'An Inspector Calls' as it was as if Dave was trying to give Tessa and Marcus a chance to show some repentance or an opportunity to change - even if Dave is a more malevolent character who appears to have a hidden motive. There are some great ideas about choices, decisions, competition, self esteem and roles explored in this oppressive and sinister tale. 

Ultimately Durrant is a great writer. She grabs the reader with a powerful hook, she explores relationships that are familiar and fascinating to the reader, she upsets the dynamics between all the characters and although her writing is sharp, deft, taut and precise, the atmosphere and vividness of the plot is captivating and all consuming. And although we must not speak of endings in reviews.... well, you have been warned. 

Taut, surprising and unsettling, Take Me In is the perfect summer read. 

Take Me In published on 28th June 2018. My thanks to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the advance copy of this novel.