Review: Watching You

Watching You by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I anxiously awaited today’s release of this Lisa Jewell novel, then devoured it in one sitting. The first 75% of the book kept me rapt. The final chapters, however, just left me feeling somehow cheated. I kept waiting for a final twist that, when it came, was underwhelming.

The story is that of twenty-something Josephine (Joey) Mullen, a woman struggling to mature and at odds with her inner demons. Her marriage to Alfie is unfulfilling; her job less than desirable; her living arrangement one of dependence upon her brother Jack and his wife Rebecca for stability. When Joey meets local headmaster and neighbor Tom Fitzwilliam, something in her is ignited, and she begins to contemplate an affair. Their cat and mouse flirtations lay the foundation for the novel, upon which the author builds with secondary stories of Fitzwilliam’s students Bess and Jenna, his son Freddie and his wife Nicola. Themes of family loyalty, bullying and betrayal collide as the story builds to a climax that leaves one person dead and a plethora of associates as suspects.

Jewell’s writing is, as expected based on her prior work, spot on. She narrates so seamlessly that it’s easy to get swept away in the early pages. Her vivid descriptions of the “iconic painted houses” of Melville are particularly beautiful and breath life into the small village in which the story is set. The dialogue is equally well done: believable, authentic, and true to the personas created. The flaw is the characters themselves. They are wholly unlikeable—one more self-centered than the next. Joey is portrayed at times to be almost childlike; Rebecca, cold to the point of frost; and Tom, a potential predator. There are also elements of each character that just seem unnecessary and contrived. One character is on the spectrum, one talks to her dead mother and yet another exhibits classic signs of paranoid schizophrenia.

Finally, the twist was one that was predictable by about the half way mark. In tipping her hand so soon, Jewell lost momentum and never fully recovered. The final chapters held the promise of a brilliant reveal but instead stretched out an ending that was just “meh”.

All in all, a solid offering from an obviously talented author, but one that, in the end, failed to impress.

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