Book review: The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon

4⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Publication date ~ June 20, 2023
Page Count ~ 304
Audio length ~ 10 hours 44 minutes
Narrators ~ Gilli Messer, Elena Rey, Valerie Rose Lohman, Amber Battaglia, Reba Buhr, Jess Nahikian, Aure Nash, Milly Sanders, Sara Sheckells, Yu-Li Alice Shen
POV ~ 1st, 2nd & 3rd
Featuring ~ debut, serial killer, dark, se*ual abuse

My review:

Quite the interesting chapter titles (I didn’t realize there were so many different ones until I started typing them up and since I already put in all the work I figured I’d leave it for you to see, so read them if you want, or don’t, I won’t ever know): The woman in the shed ~ The woman in the shed, when she was still a girl ~ The woman in transit ~ The woman in the house ~ Number one ~ Number two ~ Number three ~ The woman-before the house, before the shed ~ Number four ~ The woman in danger ~ The Woman, a long time ago ~ The woman without a number ~ The woman on the move ~ The woman in the house, so very close to a girl ~ Number five ~ The woman in the house, always in the house ~ Number seven ~ The woman, descending ~ The woman under the house ~ Number eight ~ Number nine ~ The woman in the truck ~ The woman on the move ~ The woman, almost there ~ The woman, running ~ The woman at the police station ~ The woman with a name

The woman… chapters are all told in the 2nd person. This might be my first experience with this and I’m still thinking about if I liked it or not.
Emily owns the local restaurant and has her eyes on Aiden. We, the readers, are screaming at her NO, since we know what this evil man is capable of, but do you think she listens to us, nope.

We hear from Cecilia, Aiden’s 13 year old daughter, which showed how controlling he is with her.

Overall, this was a pretty good debut. My pulse was pounding a few times just like the description said it would.

I was able to listen to an audio copy as well.
Narration notes:
Holy narrators batman, however I couldn’t really tell the difference between most of them except for the one that did Cecilia, so if they weren’t all listed I might not have ever known.

*Thanks to the author, Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review*

Add to your never ending TBR  ~ goodreads

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you’ve read it.

Book blurb:

A pulse-pounding psychological thriller about a serial killer narrated by those closest to him: His 13-year-old daughter, his girlfriend—and the one victim he has spared

Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate New York town where he lives. He’s the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he’s been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him. He’s a kidnapper and serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there’s a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed, fearing for her life.

When Aidan’s wife dies, he and his thirteen-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a “family friend” who needs a place to stay. Aidan is betting on Rachel, after five years of captivity, being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia’s orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan’s secret.

Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan’s crimes on the women in his life—and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut thriller by a major talent.

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