ITW Thriller Award winnerInternational Book Awards winner
Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina … dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way—even if it kills her.
Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
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The dark side of a disturbed mother-daughter relationship, where the lies go round and round, with horrific results.
Content Warnings:
SPOILER pedophilia, abuse, elder abuse END SPOILER
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own.
I seem to be picking up a lot of dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship books!?!? I have no idea what that means, ha!
I liked this one a lot, definitely what I would call a psychological thriller. There were plenty of twists and the way the timeline is written makes sure they get revealed one at a time, letting the reader in on little pieces of the puzzle as you start to put together this very dysfunctional duo. I stayed fairly entertained the whole way through. My only criticisms was it was a bit long and with less internal dialogue and rehashed remorse for mistakes of the past could have been slightly more concise to keep me on edge the whole time, but, enjoyable overall. It begs the question “does mother truly know best?” and makes you wonder about the phrase, “I did it for your own good.”
This is the ultimate crazy mother daughter story you need to read! I really don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil anything! I read this book in an afternoon because I couldn’t put it down. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.
Wow what a ride! Nina has hate for her mom, Maggie, for the treatment & upbringing she endured so now Nina has vengeance. Maggie”s treatment was always to protect Nina but at a cost. Maggie’s live is now controlled by Nina, she lives chained up in the attic. Nina and Maggie has a strange relationship that’s intense and crazy. This was twisty and fast paced! Thanks to Thomas & Mercer, Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for this ARC.
What a read !!
I am speechless !
If only I could rate it higher than 5 !
Maggie and Nina give a whole new meaning to the mother daughter relationship . Nina has chained her Mum, Maggie to her, up in the attic.
I could not put this book down.
I yelled at these unlikable people to no avail.
Thought I knew where the book was going; WRONG !
This book will be the talk of the town. Cant believe this is my first John Marrs book, off I go to get the rest.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an unforgettable read !!
Thank you to Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.
Wow! Just Wow!! What Lies Between Us By John Marrs gives new meaning to the term highly dysfunctional family. With the story going back and forth between Nina (daughter) and Maggie’s (mother) point of view. You are drawn into a truly messed up family you’d never want to be part of. Fast paced, truly disturbing and a great read!
I had read so many positive reviews and comments from my friends here that I got really curious and requested this book myself. So, I thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC but all opinions expressed in this review are my own. I was certainly not disappointed, the book was even better than I imagined. I think it’s the best story that I’ve read this year.
At the start of the book, we’re introduced to Nina and Maggie, who share a house on an estate somewhere in England. Maggie is confined to the attic where she has little else to do than read and look down to the neighbours on the street that can’t see her through the shutters. Every other night Nina brings her downstairs to share a home-cooked meal but it’s clear that she resents Maggie and cooks things she knows that the other woman dislikes. She can’t trust the older woman with sharp instruments and removes a spring, a corkscrew and a loose screw for both their safety. Also, she removed her watch and clock as punishment for a transgression. Apparently, this situation exists for at least two years and however Maggie resisted openly at first by now it looks as if she’s adapted (but not accepted) to it. She still tries to escape every time she sees a slight opportunity. Then drops the bombshell, Maggie is Nina’s mother and she’s a captive, chained to the floor of her bedroom in the attic.
What’s going on here? Nina isn’t an evil or cruel person, she gives her lunch to a homeless woman that comes to the library for warmth while reading ‘Mills & Boon’ (I actually knew a woman here in Antwerp who used to do the same, although she had a better taste in books). Why does she treat her mother is this despicable, inhumane way? Nina is convinced that her mother did something horrible and unforgivable to her but we’re not told what it is
We dive 25 years into the past to the time when Nina’s dad left his wife and kid and just disappeared into thin air. Nina blames her mother for this loss Around that time, she’s 14 and starts acting out by getting drunk and staying out half of the night. After she has a (secretly induced by her mother) miscarriage she starts an affair with a much older, popular local rock singer that later will end up in jail for murder.
Little by little, we become aware that there are important events that the daughter has forgotten and the mother keeps silent about. Some of these secrets are hinted at so that you just have an inkling of what may have happened. The tension slowly builds up and you keep wondering if Maggie will eventually escape or even be released (not likely) and also what are these awful unforgivable crimes that Nina accuses her mother of and what happened during the periods that she can’t remember? Slowly, one by one those secrets are revealed and some of them are really evil, others merely cruel, I thought repeatedly ‘wow, I, didn’t see this coming’, other things I saw coming or guessed from the hints given. This surely is one messed up, twisted family. And I can understand how Nina feels that some of the things her mother did, no matter how well her intentions were, are completely unforgivable. Nevertheless, her own actions out of resentment aren’t defendable neither. It’s a twisted page-turner where you’re kept in suspense until the very end