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Content snapshot
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Violence
Some
Violence and threat in the domestic thriller tradition; deaths are central to the plot
Language
Some
Some strong language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild adult content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The psychological tension of discovering that the community's perfect surface hides something terrible drives the novel's gothic suspense
What this book is about
Rachel Hawkins's contemporary gothic thriller follows Jane, a dog walker who has moved to the exclusive Thornfield Estates community and is drawn to the mysterious Eddie Rochester. Dark secrets about the previous wives of men in the community begin to surface. Hawkins plays knowingly with the Brontë sources in a modern domestic thriller. The psychological suspense is sustained throughout.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Deaths and secrets in a gated community
Gothic suspense throughout
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