The Child by Fiona Barton Published by Berkley Books on June 27th 2017
Pages: 384
Goodreads
The author of the stunning New York Times bestseller The Widow returns with a brand-new novel of twisting psychological suspense.
As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?
As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.
But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn house by house into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women and torn between what she can and cannot tell.
I’m excited and honored to be posting today as a stop on the blog tour of Fiona Barton’s latest book, The Child.
The Child was a quick and enjoyable read from start to finish. It’s told from the perspective of four different woman and differs somewhat from many multiple-perspective books in that only one is narrated in the first person. This gives the book a bit of an unreliable narrator feel, which is something I loved.
The characters are well thought-out. The author gave just enough to make me feel that I knew them, while holding back enough to make me wonder if there was something suspect about each one. I felt a particular affinity for Emma, our potential unreliable narrator. I rooted for her throughout the story even as I questioned her credibility. I can’t even scratch the surface as to why without giving away too many details. I suspect those that have read the book will understand exactly what I mean.
As for the story itself, I found it to be much more mystery than thriller. It was a steady page-turner but lacked the intensity and constant action of a thriller. This is an observation and not a criticism, as this story did not require those elements in its telling.
I thought the ending was brilliant from several standpoints. I won’t elaborate so as not to give too much away. That said, I struggled a tiny bit with the believability factor but, in the end, decided the author’s creativity and the steady pacing made up for it.
Though The Child is not a sequel to Fiona Barton’s wildly popular The Widow, reporter Kate Waters from that novel is one of the main characters in this book. I hadn’t read The Widow and wondered if that would have any effect on my experience in reading this book. Though there were a couple of minor references to a case in Ms. Waters past, which I assumed was the case in The Widow, it was nothing that detracted from the book or made me feel as if I was missing a key point.
4/5 stars
Fiona Barton – Click photo to be directed to the author’s website.
Enter the Giveaway!
Thanks to Berkley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
“It’s told from the perspective of four different woman and differs somewhat from many multiple-perspective books in that only one is narrated in the first person.”
Very interesting. So I am assuming it was Emma’s POV that was told in 1st person? Did you find that you connected with her more because her perspective was told in 1st as opposed to 3rd?
Another question… does it go into graphic detail about the death of the child? I tend to be pretty sensitive about graphic violence on children…
I definitely think that was part of it. A narrative told in the first person almost always seems a little more intimate to me. I was also affected by the dynamic between Emma and her mother. Without giving away too much, I was in turns saddened and angered by Jude’s parenting and her reaction to events Emma eventually shared with her.
I just realized I didn’t answer the second part of your question… I can’t recall that there was anything terribly graphic or violent at all. There was a brief description of skeletal remains but nothing overtly violent that I can recall.
Good review Ann Marie, just finished this myself and in process of reviewing. My thoughts are pretty similar – it was s good read.
Thanks, Jill! Looking forward to reading your review.
Hope things are OK with you, you were having a few problems at your end last time. xx
It never end but I’m starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel. Hope to be back to my regular routine soon. Thank you so much for asking! xx
Hopefully it’ll be a short tunnel, take care xx
Great review, Ann Marie! I have found quite a few books classified as a “thriller” really falling into the mystery category lately, myself. I wonder if that has to do with expectations for the genre more than anything else? I don’t think that’s a bad thing either. As long as you enjoy the book, who cares what genre it is?
Thanks, Jackie! I agree! And there is often a fine line. Even some subjectivity; especially between mystery and thriller. (Except in the case of Behind Her Eyes… That was just uncalled for.)
Congrats for being selected to be on the blog tour for this book! Kudos to you!!!
“I thought the ending was brilliant from several standpoints. I won’t elaborate so as not to give too much away. That said, I struggled a tiny bit with the believability factor but, in the end, decided the author’s creativity and the steady pacing made up for it.”
This is what I’ve been hearing about this one. Points for creativity, even if it isn’t completely believable. Wonderful review Ann Marie!
Thanks, Amanda! Sometimes I wonder if I’m being too critical but believability is a big thing for me! I can’t fully connect to outlandishness.