Cassandra and a group of her friends enjoy Sunday lunch together on a perfect summer’s day. They’re pleased to welcome their
glamorous
new neighbour and novelist, Ellie, who has rented a house in the
village to work on her book. She likes to place herself in the centre of
her plots, she says, although it’s hard to see what she’ll find to
write about in this quiet country backwater.
As Ellie slots
effortlessly into the village social scene, Cass begins to feel
increasingly alienated from her friends and isolated from her family
but, for the life of her, she can’t fathom out why . . .
My Thoughts:
Nearest Thing to Crazy by Elizabeth Forbes is hands down one of the greatest psychological suspense novels I have ever read. A bold claim I know but it is true and if you have read it then let me know your thoughts. It is expertly written and it has lingered in my mind and thoughts. The author is a rare talent that has managed to weave a plot that on the surface is simple but with threads that are all there taut beneath the surface . You would have to read the book to find out which one snaps first.
Ellie is an author and is new to the village and indeed to village life. She seems quiet but keen to fit in and make new friends although it is a little hazy why the sudden lifestyle change. Her methods of ingratiating herself to the other local ladies seem a bit extra and it was a little infuriating at times how naive and instantly disloyal some of them were prepared to be.
Cassandra takes a dislike to Ellie from the offset. Ellie is everything that Cass doesn't think she is, extrovert, glamorous and alluring. So when Ellie is welcomed whole-heartedly to the detriment of Cass she becomes more and more resentful.
When strange things start to happen like Ellie denying some thing that Cass said, Cass begins to doubt herself because surely Ellie wouldn't have done that? If she is doing those things then why and who is going to believe Cass who has been more than a little sidelined recently.
There is a quiet intensity to this story so much so that the reader is drawn in too and pulled along without even realising it. Rightly or wrongly the reader is challenged to pick a side. A host of unreliable narrators flesh out the plot and the reader is torn from one side to the other and then feeling guilty for feeling this way or that - like I said very, very clever writing.
One of the scariest things about this as I read the last few pages without blinking is the sheer possibility of it and the plausibility of the plot. The sadness, loneliness and anguish that is caused by human beings for their own personal gain and vendettas but also the reasons and events that drive people too.
So very, very clever. Dark, devious and ultimately sad. Written by a talented writer with a skill for exploring the human condition and all of its flaws. This is magnificent.
About the Author:
Elizabeth Forbes was born and raised on the Isle of Wight and now lives in Herefordshire with her husband, two dogs and two hens. She published three romantic thrillers under the name Elizabeth Harrington: The Corporate Wife, Making Up and Daddy Darling. She then took a break from writing and enrolled with the Open University to study for a degree in Literature. She completed her BA with First Class Honours, and also achieved the OU's Diploma in Creative Writing. Her first psychological suspense novel, Nearest Thing to Crazy, was published by Cutting Edge Press in 2013. BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and the Mail Online featured the novel because of its gaslighting subject matter. It was a bestseller in Amazon UK's psychological thriller charts. Her second novel published by Cutting Edge Press in 2014 was Who Are You? which is a dark and twisty tale focussing on the stormy marriage of two people affected by PTSD and childhood trauma. Elizabeth has recently re-published these novels independently with Amazon KDP, and plans to publish a new novel in the summer of 2021.
Please do have a look at the other stops along the blog tour.
Thanks so much for the blog tour support Leah xx
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