The Split tells Felicity’s terrifying ordeal as she’s haunted by both her past and her present. Her past is unlocked slowly through the book, the ongoing terrors of her current life unravel dramatically, rapidly and with an air of suspense… because Felicity is an unreliable character, how truthful is she being with us and her psychiatrist – Joe?
Part 2 introduces us to Joe’s POV and his perspective fuelled my uncertainty in Felicity, their sessions bring her past to the forefront and reveal some shocking discoveries about Felicity. Why is she seeing a psychiatrist? I’ll leave that for you to discover but if you’ve seen the blurb and think you know why… I’ll just hint that all is not what it seems.
There are a number of other POVs that steer us through the story and whilst they feel like background characters; as they don’t seem to interact with the “key cast”, boy oh boy do they become critical to the big reveal. Bolton’s skill at moving her characters in and out of the main stage light is outstanding, it ensured that my mind was constantly jumping around trying to figure out what each character brought to the story and which could be part of a plot twist…
The Split is such a cleverly concocted story, no doubt about it! Bolton creates that instant gripping bond with the reader from the get go and continued to ramp up the suspense, creating an ending that packed a punch.
What’s with the icy front cover about you ask?
Well it’s because Felicity is a glaciologist, working for the British Antarctic Survey and she’s on a remote island in South Georgia studying the glaciers there. I really liked what this brought to the plot for two reasons:
- The curiosity factor – it’s not an area I know a lot about so I enjoyed finding out a bit about what the job entails
- The setting added so much to the finale of the plot, it was dangerously beautiful – capable of sparking fear within you whilst also taking your breath away.
The Split challenges the reader to distinguish the reality from paranoia sparked imagination and to question everything, resulting in an addictive, fascinating and sensational read.
The Split is out now in hardback and eBook versions from Trapeze.
Until next time, stay safe, Chloé x
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Reviews by Chloé 