“A thriller for fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl…[with] a striking, original voice all Berry’s own.” —The New York Times Book ReviewThe riveting, Edgar Award-winning first novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy and A Double LifeWhen Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station, or at … from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station, or at home cooking dinner. But when she walks into Rachel’s familiar house, what she finds is entirely different: her sister has been the victim of a brutal murder.
Stunned and adrift, Nora finds she can’t return to her former life. An unsolved assault in the past has shaken her faith in the police, and she can’t trust them to find her sister’s killer. Haunted by the murder and the secrets that surround it, Nora is under the harrow: distressed and in danger. As Nora’s fear turns to obsession, she becomes as unrecognizable as the sister her investigation uncovers.
A riveting psychological thriller and a haunting exploration of the fierce love between two sisters, the distortions of grief, and the terrifying power of the past, Under the Harrow marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer.
Named one of the “10 Best Mystery Books and Thrillers of the Year” by The Washington Post
Named one of the best books of the year by The Atlantic
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I’m about halfway through Under the Harrow. Despite all of the obvious comparisons to The Girl on the Train (it’s a British crime thriller with complex women and multiple scenes on trains), I’m glad to report it holds its own.
The setting is very Broadchurch-y, which I LOVE. The pace is slow and meditative, and the protagonist’s mind is an unsettling place to be. Nora is struggling to accept her sister’s murder (not a spoiler, it’s in the publisher copy) and she’s paranoid that everyone she encounters is the killer. As these crazy thoughts run through her head, I feel like I’m going crazy right alongside her.
It’s a fairly short read, so I would recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers, strong sister plots, and lovely towns that aren’t what they seem.
Kinda jumped around a bit but overall I liked it! The ending wrapped up nicely and I didnt guess who the murderer was which is always nice 🙂
The pacing, mood, and theme are heavy and slow. But … the chapters are very short (often with very little happening in a chapter). The depiction of life in an English town works beautifully with the story mood and brooding narrator. Several logic holes and the abrupt ending detracted from the story’s intense opening scene–the discovery of the narrator’s murdered sister. Still, I recommend the book for readers who prefer Daphne DuMaurier rather than Gillian Flynn.
Thrills and suspense! I knew I‘d be up half the night as soon as I started reading. The suspense starts immediately and doesn’t end until the last page. I’ve read two of her books and hope there are more! Put this Author at the top of your must read list.
I picked this book up based on the blurbs. I was hooked from the get-go. While I think that some readers might be off-put with the narrative style and some of the ambivalence in the first-person narrative voice of Nora, the story is an engaging whodunnit. Nora’s psyche is haunting, and the reader does not get a clear perspective from Nora, even in the conclusion of the novel. This is what kept me turning the pages, unable to easily put the book down. Most of the chapters are short and, at least for me, easy to mentally digest without losing that crucial sense of mystery.
A tragic tale of quarreling sisters and the regret of one after a brutal murder occurs. This story starts out strong and keeps you moving and then starts to really fall flat all the way to the ending. The books is short and maybe with the lack of twist or any surprises that was the point. Wonderful setting and writing. I will definitely read more Flynn Berry. Overall not a bad debut book and quick read.
The slowest of boils.
Under the Harrow is the story of Nora and her sister, Rachel. They have a complicated relationship, and when Nora finds Rachel dead when she goes to visit her, it unleashed a fury in Nora. She tries to find who killed Rachel and why. She thinks it may have to do with Rachel being attacked years earlier when they were teenagers.
This story jumps around, and brings in a lot of characters. Neither Nora nor Rachel are very likable.
Good read!
It wasn’t engrossing. It came into its own at the end but it was tedious to get there
Nora is a compelling character. She reveals herself as she pursues the truth about her sister’s death. Is she a reliable narrator? The author has us questioning that point while also defending Nora’s decisions and behavior. The ending is troubling, but a good real- world foil for Nora’s off-kilter thinkingPowerful writing.
Finished this book today and I enjoyed reading it.
Nora is on her way to visit her sister but her sister is not there to greet her.
Nora discovers that her sister has been killed.
Everyone is suspect including Nora. Highly recommend this book.
Good cozy read.
Characters are so well-developed and relatable. This book draws the reader in and never lets go. I must say I avoided several duties while getting to the next chapter. I recommend this completely.
One of the best books I’ve read recently. Berry’s spare prose and quiet, tension-building plot kept me reading long after I should have turned out the lights.
Flynn Berry is an exceptional writer. A true literary suspense novel of the highest caliber. I reread many passages for sheer beauty and emotion, and the characters and plot were first-rate.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a sister, and only by the acquaintances with other people’s sisters, I know how complicated these relationships are. How it is that together with love, there is also competition and anger and even hatred. You can say – and probably be right – that family relationship is always composed of different emotions. There are no family members-or another intimate relatives-to feel an arc of emotions consisting of deep love, anger, and hatred.
The story begins as a thriller – one sister goes to visit the other and discovers her body. The Obsession begins while she stays there and conducts her investigations to reach the truth. From here starts the plot to describe the relations between the sisters; of family relations, relations with men and women. The mystery belongs to the novel, not to the story of tension, but the solution to the puzzle belongs to the thriller.
The book well builds and balanced. I thought it was a thriller&novel above the average I had read recently, and those who liked these kinds of reads would enjoy it.
Tedious to read.
Quite often, mysteries are easy to slot into one category or another. It’s difficult to find a label for Under the Harrow. It’s definitely a murder mystery, and reads like a psychological thriller. It’s written in first-person, and you are quickly drawn in to the emotional turmoil of a woman who is first on scene at her sister’s murder. She seeks suspects, the police seek suspects, and it’s difficult to put this book down as you try to figure out the past and present lives of the two sisters. I really liked the different style and perspective, and the writer kept me guessing till the very end.
Sometimes difficult to follow…narrator was confusing. Mystery was good, though.