Thank You to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of Wendy Walker’s new novel, Emma in the Night, in exchange for an honest review.
PLOT– Cass Tanner has returned to her mother’s home after mysteriously disappearing three years earlier. Her sister, Emma, is still missing and Cass tells a story of a couple that are keeping Emma and Emma’s toddler, captive on a remote island. Abby Winter, the forensic psychologist has long suspected the girl’s narcissistic mother is involved, but she doesn’t have proof. The more Abby hears Cass’ story, the closer she gets to finding out the truth.
LIKE– I have not read Wendy Walker’s previous novel, but based on the buzz and the description of Emma in the Night, I had high expectations.
I liked the contrast in settings. Cass and Emma come from a privileged background, spending summers in Europe and weekends at the country club. This juxtaposes with their captivity in the remote house on the island, where although they had their needs met (including ice cream and rented movies), they were still being kept captive. Emma in the Night features a variety of characters from different backgrounds, including a gruff fisherman from Alaska. I like how the worlds in the story collide, with a message of never to trust what is on the surface.
The suspense and mystery plot is solid. I did not anticipate the ending, although Walker perfectly sets it up.
DISLIKE- Unfortunately, much of the story fell flat. I finished Emma in the Night yesterday and I’ve spent the last day trying to pinpoint the disconnect. I think it has to do with the characters. I didn’t connect with any of them. The story bounces between Cass and Abby. The Cass chapters are told in first person and the Abby chapters are told in close-third. I’m not sure why this choice was made. Walker provides background information for Abby, making it clear why this case is personal for her and I wish that she had written the character in a way that made Abby personal to the reader. I think writing both characters in first person would have helped this issue.
Although the plot is solid, there is a lot of telling, rather than showing the events leading up to solving this cold-case. Much of the story is told through interviews with Cass and this device grew tedious. I think my main disconnect, wasn’t the story itself, but the way in which it was told. I wish we had been allowed a more personal look at the characters and that as a reader, I could come to my own conclusions, rather than having everything spelled out for me.
RECOMMEND– No. I truly didn’t enjoy Emma in the Night. However, I saw enough potential in Walker’s storytelling and I’ve heard fabulous things about her debut novel, All is Not Forgotten, that I plan on buying it. Walker warrants a second chance.
Perpetually Booked 