Title: The TherapistAuthor: Helene Flood
Published by: Mobius on Feb. 1, 2021
Genres: Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 336
Format: Paperback
Source: Mobius Books US
Book Rating: 8/10
At first it’s the lie that hurts.
A voicemail from her husband tells Sara he’s arrived at the holiday cabin. Then a call from his friend confirms he never did.
She tries to carry on as normal, teasing out her clients’ deepest fears, but as the hours stretch out, her own begin to surface. And when the police finally take an interest, they want to know why Sara deleted that voicemail.
To get to the root of Sigurd’s disappearance, Sara must question everything she knows about her relationship.
Could the truth about what happened be inside her head?
Translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough
Review:
Simmering, tight, and mysterious!
The Therapist is an intense, nordic noir that introduces us to Sara, a young psychologist who specializes in teenage patients and is looking forward to a nice weekend alone, only to have her world turned upside down when she receives a call from her husband’s friends that he never actually turned up for their weekend away, and danger suddenly seems to be lurking around every corner inside and out of the home they shared.
The writing is tight and tense. The characters are flawed, unreliable, and insecure. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth style intertwines and unravels into a slow-burning tale of twists, turns, lies, deception, manipulation, suspicions, revelations, mayhem, familial drama, and obsession.
Overall, The Therapist is an atmospheric, sinister, satisfying debut by Flood that does a wonderful job of highlighting just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally manipulated, and reminds us that even those we think we know so well often have darker sides they choose to hide.
This book is available now.
Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.
Thank you to Mobius Books US for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
About Helene Flood
Pseudonym used by Helene Flood Aakvaag
Helene Flood is a psychologist who obtained her doctoral degree on violence, revictimization and trauma-related shame and guilt in 2016. She now works as a psychologist and researcher at the National Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress. She lives in Oslo with her husband and two children. The Therapist is her first adult novel. It has been sold in 27 counties and film rights have been bought by Anonymous Content. Her second novel, The Lover, will be published in English in 2022.
Photo courtesy of Goodreads.
