THE IMPOSTER BY ANNA WHARTON | BOOK REVIEW

TITLE : The Imposter

AUTHOR : Anna Wharton

GENRE : Thriller, Contemporary, Mystery, Psychological Thriller

FR RATING : ⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.5 Stars)

DATE OF PUBLISHING :  1st April 2021 

FR REVIEW

DISCLAIMER : Thank you, Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Mantle for providing me with an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Imposter by Anna Wharton is a psychological thriller that tells the story of a young woman Chloe. Chloe works as a newspaper archivist and cares for her nan. Her life has become difficult with her nan starting to forget her present and seems to be stuck in her past. While things might be difficult at home, Chloe enjoys her work and loves reading about different people’s lives as she collects the newspaper clippings. One story, in particular, catches her eye and she seems to have trouble letting go of the story. She starts to get obsessed over the story and goes on to make decisions to uncover the truth about the story. The story is of a young girl Angie who went missing as a child. After a few things changing drastically in Chloe’s life, she decides to answer an ad put up by the couple. She starts living in their house and finds out that things are not at all like what they seem on the outside. The more she digs the more convoluted things get. Can Chloe figure out the real story behind the young girl’s disappearance?

The story was one of the slowest thrillers I have read. It is more of a character study of Chloe than a fast-paced thriller. It takes its sweet time in getting the readers into the meat of the situation. It’s told from Chloe’s perspective and we follow her as she tries to navigate through her life amidst difficulties and crisis that keeps on coming up. Her voice is quite unique reflecting her state of mind very well. I found being in her head was not a great place to be. Her confusion, her fears, her lack of certainty, her lack of confidence, possible mental health issues are all very much evident throughout the story. Chloe is a hard character to rally behind and we do get to see the choices, the POV, the slower pace, her characterization all makes sense finally at the end of the story. It was a twist that I did not see coming.

I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about the story as I was reading and I was not a fan of Chloe and her way of thinking. The whole time she made me uncomfortable on many levels. She has behavioral issues that need to be taken care of STAT. All the choices the author made in the book were intentional and you don’t see it until the end when the world is tossed upside down.

This was such a pleasant surprise that I did not think I could have predicted how the story progressed. The plot progression was slow and I was following her thinking maybe things are going to go one way to only realize that I was completely wrong. The bafflement on my face was real and it changed my perspective of the book and everything made perfect sense.

Even with the slow progression, I wanted to know what was going on with Chloe. Chloe’s overall presence feels at times was like a ghost who was untethered and disconnected from this world and floating on by. There was this eerie, creepy feeling that was shrouding this story and captivates you and pulls you in wanting to know the mystery behind the young child’s disappearance. Things are more sinister than what they seem on the surface.

Overall, be ready to be surprised and don’t be put off by the slow crawl Chloe does through the story. You will be rewarded in the end and it’s going to be so worth it for sticking it with the story. If you love psychological stories with a well-crafted character and a mystery plot, you need to check this one out. I gave the book 4.5 stars and highly recommend checking this one out. If you enjoyed The Silent Patient you will love this.

Do you have any stories that completely changed the way you thought about the book after reading the ending? Let me know in the comment section the books that surprised you so much that you changed the rating for the book to a higher rating.

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SYNOPSIS

Chloe lives a quiet life. Working as a newspaper archivist in the day and taking care of her Nan in the evening, she’s happy simply to read about the lives of others as she files away the news clippings from the safety of her desk.

But there’s one story that she can’t stop thinking about. The case of Angie Kyle – a girl, Chloe’s age, who went missing as a child. A girl whose parents never gave up hope.

When Chloe’s Nan gets moved into a nursing home, leaving Chloe on the brink of homelessness, she takes a desperate step: answering an ad to be a lodger in the missing girl’s family home. It could be the perfect opportunity to get closer to the story she’s read so much about. But it’s not long until she realizes this couple aren’t all they seem from the outside…

But with everyone in the house hiding something, the question is – whose secrets are the most dangerous?

Source : Goodreads