Book Review 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Book - The Villa: A Novel
Author - Rachel Hawkins
Genre - Mystery, Thriller
Publishing Year - 2023
The New York Times bestselling American author Rachel Hawkins has penned another gothic thriller, The Villa: A Novel. The book deals with parallel timelines and has a female protagonist, Emily. Emily is a thriller writer who’s currently struggling with writer's block, a mysterious disease, and an impending divorce from her husband Matt. Chess Chandler, a childhood best friend of Emily has also become a famous self-help writer, although with time these friends have drifted apart.
When Chess proposes a vacation in Italy, just for the two friends, Emily finds herself in the famous vacation house in Italy ‘Villa Aestes’. It is after going there Emily finds out about the murder in the 1970s that made the then-called ‘Villa Roseto’ famous. From here we see Hawkins dabbling between the past and the present. The murder involved an up-and-coming musician Pierce, his girlfriend Mari, Mari’s stepsister Lara, and the notorious rockstar Noel, who had invited them to the villa. They were later joined by Johnnie.
Hawkins explores the different aspects of relationships, focusing on friendships and sisterhood. She deftly juggles between the timelines to keep the thrill going and draws similarities in the past and present. She uses newspaper clippings and published journals and articles along with podcasts and music to provide information. Although it was a different approach to provide authenticity to the story, it often feels unnecessary. They do not provide any extra information and seem repetitive.
There seems to be an imbalance between the representation of the past and present. There is more focus on the past while things start happening in the present not until the ending of the book. Overall the book is a decent read for the mystery lovers with an ending that will make you think even after you have finished reading the book.
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