Try Not To Breathe by Holly Seddon is hands down one of the best psychological thriller books I’ve ever read and is without a doubt the next big thing in psychological thriller fiction. All I hope is that this review will do Holly’s extraordinary and exceptional debut novel the justice it deserves.
Upon first meeting Alex, a freelance journalist, it becomes apparent that she is an alcoholic who spends her sober mornings counting down the hours until 12pm when she deems it acceptable to have her first drink of the day. Having been left by her partner, Matt, who could no longer cope with Alex’s drinking we soon see a determined character emerge in her. She wants nothing more than to prove to herself, her ex and fellow journalists that she is a competent reporter. To do so she sets out to investigate, find out and report on exactly what happened to Amy Stevenson who was brutally attacked in 1995 and remains in a coma 15 years on.
With the chapters alternating between the perspective of Alex, Amy, Jacob (Amy’s boyfriend at the time of the attack) and occasionally Sue (Jacob’s mother), this novel is incredibly well-written. Not only does it jump seamlessly between each character’s narrative but it also jumps seamlessly between the present and past as each of Amy’s chapters are written as flashbacks. This was a brilliant way of structuring the novel and one which allowed the reader to see the bigger picture.
Try Not To Breathe was a novel that was full of suspense which would not let me put it down. I found myself completely unable to be separated from this book and in the end gave up trying to be. This outstanding novel is quite unlike any psychological thriller I’ve read before and trust me I’ve read a lot of them. It was completely unpredictable and I could never have predicted how it was going to end, although believe me I tried. In fact the ending was so unpredictable that it completely took my breath away!
Although it’s still very early on in 2016, I can sense that this novel is going to be huge and that soon everyone, everywhere will be talking about it. It’s evident that Holly is an incredibly talented author and I cannot wait to see what she writes next. This most certainly is not a book to be missed.
I would just like to end this review by saying a big thank you to the publishers, Corvus, for sending me a copy of Try Not To Breathe in exchange for an honest review.
