Across the Water

Right from the start, there’s an eerie atmosphere creeping in. What could you want more than a house on the water in sunny Australia? British Liz Dawson is newlywed to Australian Adam. His father died recently and now they’re trying to sell his business and house in order to buy their dream house in London. While he’s in the Sidney, she stays alone in the old house in a row deserted homes on the far side of a creek you can only cross by boat or by an unstable wooden footbridge. She keeps herself occupied by spying on her neighbours on the other side of the water. Across the creek (on the side of the village) stand 3 inhabited houses. Dee, Rob, and baby Ruby live next to the older couple Eric and Samir. There’s also the handsome bartender Zac, who startles and scares Liz on several occasions but who also flirts. The book is told by the three women, who have a strange and complicated relationship with one another. We only find out what’s up with each of them as they tell their tale. Dee never wanted to be a mother and Ruby was a big surprise. She thinks that she’s a horrible mother and on occasion doesn’t cope too well. Her husband is away. Erica’s her best friend and often takes Ruby with her. All of them have secrets and a history of psychological problems in their past. You can’t be sure if their version of the story they tell, is real. Then Dee and Ruby disappear … I thought it a creepy read. The story starts out very slowly when Liz moves in. We also get the story of Dee that starts out 6 months earlier when Ruby was about to be born. You know that not everything is what it appears to be, but it takes a long time before you discover what’s happening. Suspicions grow when Liz thinks to spot secretive behaviour that may have a very normal explanation. But the thing is that you just don’t know. The eventual outcome was still a bit of a surprise to me. Apart from the last bit when all is revealed, it was a straight forward story. I wouldn’t call it a thriller, but more a psychological mystery full of suspense. It was a quick read for me as I wanted to find out I thank One More Chapter for the ARC they provided through NetGalley; this is my unbiased, honest review of it.