After a slightly unplanned but I think much needed hiatus in blogging over the last few weeks, I couldn’t think of a better way to get back into it again than with a review for The Watcher by Ross Armstrong. Anyone who has been following my blog for a while will know that I love getting stuck into a good psychological thriller and The Watcher was most certainly one of those books. With a clever and unique plot this was a book that really stood out from other books of its genre and I thought it was a fantastic debut.
Within The Watcher we are introduced to Lily Gullick who lives with her husband Aiden in a new build flat directly opposite an estate that is due to be demolished. Lily is an avid birdwatcher who was taught by her dad from a young age to record and identify the different species of birds that she spots. One day, whilst birdwatching and gazing through her binoculars, she sees something suspicious and not long after hears that her neighbour Jean has been found dead. Determined to discover the truth about her neighbour’s death, Lily involves herself in the investigation often putting herself in serious danger.
The Watcher is a book that is told entirely from the perspective of Lily and this is something that I think works very well. Although an unreliable narrator, the reasons for which become clearer as the novel progresses I have to say that I found Lily to be a fascinating character. She was someone who I felt we really got to know thanks to the fabulous introduction Ross gave us to both Lily and her neighbourhood towards the start of the novel. Despite sometimes making some questionable decisions, Lily was a character who I really did find myself rooting for and loving by the end.
Although it took me a little while to get into the book and adapt to the way in which the book was written, I have to say that I think that Ross has done a fantastic job of writing a fast-paced, intriguing and highly memorable thriller. The Watcher is a book that contains twist after twist that leaves the reader never knowing which direction it was next going to go. In fact one thing I particularly enjoyed about this novel was the satisfying ending, the way in which it all came together and ended up making sense.
Overall I have to say that everything combined made The Watcher a hugely compelling read and one that had me well and truly hooked. As I was reading the book there were many times that I found myself forgetting that this was just a debut novel, a sign of how accomplished it was. I’d definitely be interested in reading more by Ross in the future.
