*Thank you to the publisher, Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, for a print ARC of The Quiet Tenant*
Clémance Michallon's The Quiet Tenant is a chilling and addictive read, one that turns the serial killer novel on its head. Told from the perspective of the women in one serial killer's life, The Quiet Tenant ultimately works to tell a story of trauma and resiliency that will haunt you long after you finished the last page.Clémance Michallon was born and raised near Paris. She studied journalism at City, University of London, received a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University, and has written for The Independent since 2018. Her essays and features have covered true crime, celebrity culture, and literature. She divides her time between New York City and Rhinebeck, New York.
Aidan Thomas is a hard-working family man and a somewhat beloved figure in the small upstate town where he lives: he's the kind of man who always lends a hand and has a good word for everyone. But Aidan has a dark secret he's been keeping from everyone in town and those closest to him: he's a kidnapper and a serial killer. Aidan has murdered eight women and there's a ninth he has earmarked for death: Rachel, imprisoned in a backyard shed fearing for her life. When Aidan's wife dies, he and his 13-year-old daughter Cecilia are forced to move. Aidan has no choice but to bring Rachel along, introducing her to Cecilia as a "family friend" who needs a place to say. After five years of captivity, Aidan is betting on Rachel being too brainwashed and fearful to attempt to escape. But Rachel is a fighter and survivor, and recognizes Cecilia might just be the lifeline she has waited for all these years. As Rachel tests the boundaries of her new living situation, she begins to form a tenuous connection with Cecilia. And when Emily, a local restaurant owner, develops a crush on the handsome widower, she finds herself drawn into Rachel and Cecilia's orbit, coming dangerously close to discovering Aidan's secret. Told through the perspectives of Rachel, Cecilia, and Emily, The Quiet Tenant explores the psychological impact of Aidan's crimes on the women in his life—and the bonds between those women that give them the strength to fight back. Both a searing thriller and an astute study of trauma, survival, and the dynamics of power, The Quiet Tenant is an electrifying debut thriller by a major talent.
The most striking element of The Quiet Tenant is the way the story is told—three women alternate narrating, and each of them has a different story to tell. Rachel, who speaks in a distant yet all-too-near second person POV because of how she is fractured by the events of the past five years; Cecilia, who speaks in a sassy yet heartbroken teenage voice; and Emily, a smitten yet lost third person POV narrator whose chapters strike a startling contrast between Rachel's. The story ultimately revolves around how Aidan's actions affect each of their lives, and the subsequent fallout when they realize who he is, and this is done so brilliantly. Michallon navigates between these three women masterfully, switching POVs when it'll create the most impact and sticking with one woman for as long as it takes for readers to understand the true horror of having a serial killer part of your day-to-day.
Each of the three women's voices are insanely readable—I tore through this novel is less than a day. Michallon does not skip on the suspense or horror of Aidan's actions, either, describing everything with a mundane brutality that makes this novel chilling as well as addictive. I especially enjoyed the short chapters from the POV of Aidan's other victims. The way this story feels like it could happen to me, or to anyone I know around me, is what kept me on the edge of my seat until the final page.
I was at first a little confused by the ending. I suppose I love really dramatic ones, and this one was dramatic, but a bit softer in tone. I was especially originally saddened by the lack of Cecilia's voice added to the ending. I had the chance to actually hear the author speak about the ending, and to hear it described in her own words completely sold me on it. The story is, ultimately, one about the resiliency of women and survivors. Having that moment between Rachel and Emily at the very end was powerful and dramatic in the way it needed to be to have the most impact for this message. We almost don't need to hear from Cecilia, because getting to see how Emily and Rachel dealt with the fallout is the hope we need that Cecilia will, indeed, be okay, even if the road is long and hard, as most roads are.
I cannot wait until this hits shelves and everyone has a chance to dive into this suspenseful, creepy read that will ultimately give you hope for the resiliency of survivors and humankind in general.
*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*
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