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Nilufer Ozmekik's Reviews > The Blue Hour
The Blue Hour
by
by
Wow! Okay! It took me nearly an hour to gather my thoughts about this incredibly sinister, claustrophobic psychological thriller! Did I like it? I don’t know. I’m a mess right now.
Being trapped on an island where access to the mainland is limited to 12 hours, with tides determining your fate, is the product of a creative mind! The complex, flawed characters, who you barely understand and barely connect with or even like, are intriguing.
The whirlwind life story of an artist and the secrets she left behind also drew me into the story. But the lack of connection with the characters and the ending, like a hard slap against my cheek, made me question if I fully enjoyed this wild ride and the author’s choices for the fates of her broken characters.
Let’s talk more about the plot to give you a clear picture so you can decide to dive into this book and reconsider your hesitations. Before you do that, if you’re a big fan of the author, you should absolutely give it a try because it’s much more intriguing than “Slow Fire Burning� and somehow even better than “Into the Water� (although I admit, the problem might be with me because I didn’t enjoy the author's latest books since “The Girl on the Train�).
Imagine a secluded Scottish island where one of the most talented artists, painter, and ceramic sculptor Vanessa Chapman lived. Not only was she famous for her art, but also for the unsolved mystery of her unfaithful husband Julian Chapman’s disappearance into thin air.
Interestingly, when Vanessa loses her fight to cancer, her entire collection of paintings and ceramic sculptures is inherited by the Fairburn Foundation, owned by her arch-nemesis/lover Douglas Fairburn. Her house is left to her old friend Grace, who took care of her until the day she died. Grace might have been more than just her friend, with the authority to provide the art pieces to the foundation, Vanessa’s secret diary, and her entire correspondence via letters to anyone who touched her life.
Two tragic events follow each other: first, Douglas Fairburn is shot during a hunting trip by his own wife Emmeline (could she have done it intentionally to avenge her husband, who had a relationship with Vanessa Chapman?). Emmeline might be the most dislikable and vindictive character in the book. His son Sebastian postpones his wedding, and his fiancée Helena decides to unite her life with Julian Becker: the blue-collared art curator of the foundation who specializes in Vanessa Chapman’s works. When an anthropologist informs them that one of Vanessa’s works contains human bone, things escalate, forcing Becker to meet with Grace, who lives alone in Vanessa’s Eris Island home, to learn more about the mystery of the artwork and find out if the bone belongs to the late husband Julian, whose body has never been found by the authorities.
But Becker has no idea that connecting with Grace may open Pandora’s box and reveal so many tragic secrets that ruin lives, even making him question his obsession with Vanessa’s art and his love triangle, which affects his self-esteem with gnawing doubts every day.
I can honestly say that the dysfunctional relationship and strange friendship between Grace and Becker reminded me of King’s Misery at some parts. I couldn’t feel pity for any of the characters, finding each of them too selfish or obsessed with other forms like Vanessa’s obsession with creating art, Becker’s obsession with Vanessa’s works that brings him closer to his mom who was lost at a young age, and of course Grace’s intense obsession with protecting Vanessa at all costs.
The ending also irritated me a little, but it is still unexpected and matches the entire sinister execution.
I also have to admit that despite this book’s dark and intense trajectory and dislikable characters who I didn’t care what will happen to them, it’s still riveting, luring you with a balanced pace and helping you reach the finish line a little easier. That’s why I didn’t get bored; nothing was dragging or extra slow-burn to make me yawn.
Overall, I weighed the opposite qualities of the book and rounded up my 3.5 stars to 4 artsy, obsessed, dark, capturing, claustrophobic stars.
Especially, I recommend it to the devoted fans of the author!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy of one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year in exchange for my honest thoughts, which I truly appreciated.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
Being trapped on an island where access to the mainland is limited to 12 hours, with tides determining your fate, is the product of a creative mind! The complex, flawed characters, who you barely understand and barely connect with or even like, are intriguing.
The whirlwind life story of an artist and the secrets she left behind also drew me into the story. But the lack of connection with the characters and the ending, like a hard slap against my cheek, made me question if I fully enjoyed this wild ride and the author’s choices for the fates of her broken characters.
Let’s talk more about the plot to give you a clear picture so you can decide to dive into this book and reconsider your hesitations. Before you do that, if you’re a big fan of the author, you should absolutely give it a try because it’s much more intriguing than “Slow Fire Burning� and somehow even better than “Into the Water� (although I admit, the problem might be with me because I didn’t enjoy the author's latest books since “The Girl on the Train�).
Imagine a secluded Scottish island where one of the most talented artists, painter, and ceramic sculptor Vanessa Chapman lived. Not only was she famous for her art, but also for the unsolved mystery of her unfaithful husband Julian Chapman’s disappearance into thin air.
Interestingly, when Vanessa loses her fight to cancer, her entire collection of paintings and ceramic sculptures is inherited by the Fairburn Foundation, owned by her arch-nemesis/lover Douglas Fairburn. Her house is left to her old friend Grace, who took care of her until the day she died. Grace might have been more than just her friend, with the authority to provide the art pieces to the foundation, Vanessa’s secret diary, and her entire correspondence via letters to anyone who touched her life.
Two tragic events follow each other: first, Douglas Fairburn is shot during a hunting trip by his own wife Emmeline (could she have done it intentionally to avenge her husband, who had a relationship with Vanessa Chapman?). Emmeline might be the most dislikable and vindictive character in the book. His son Sebastian postpones his wedding, and his fiancée Helena decides to unite her life with Julian Becker: the blue-collared art curator of the foundation who specializes in Vanessa Chapman’s works. When an anthropologist informs them that one of Vanessa’s works contains human bone, things escalate, forcing Becker to meet with Grace, who lives alone in Vanessa’s Eris Island home, to learn more about the mystery of the artwork and find out if the bone belongs to the late husband Julian, whose body has never been found by the authorities.
But Becker has no idea that connecting with Grace may open Pandora’s box and reveal so many tragic secrets that ruin lives, even making him question his obsession with Vanessa’s art and his love triangle, which affects his self-esteem with gnawing doubts every day.
I can honestly say that the dysfunctional relationship and strange friendship between Grace and Becker reminded me of King’s Misery at some parts. I couldn’t feel pity for any of the characters, finding each of them too selfish or obsessed with other forms like Vanessa’s obsession with creating art, Becker’s obsession with Vanessa’s works that brings him closer to his mom who was lost at a young age, and of course Grace’s intense obsession with protecting Vanessa at all costs.
The ending also irritated me a little, but it is still unexpected and matches the entire sinister execution.
I also have to admit that despite this book’s dark and intense trajectory and dislikable characters who I didn’t care what will happen to them, it’s still riveting, luring you with a balanced pace and helping you reach the finish line a little easier. That’s why I didn’t get bored; nothing was dragging or extra slow-burn to make me yawn.
Overall, I weighed the opposite qualities of the book and rounded up my 3.5 stars to 4 artsy, obsessed, dark, capturing, claustrophobic stars.
Especially, I recommend it to the devoted fans of the author!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Mariner Books for sharing this digital reviewer copy of one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year in exchange for my honest thoughts, which I truly appreciated.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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Reading Progress
May 1, 2024
–
Started Reading
May 1, 2024
– Shelved
May 2, 2024
–
Finished Reading
