Scan barcode
shelfofunread's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Now, for what it’s worth, I enjoyed both The Girl on the Train (although I will forever argue that many of the ‘girls’ in book titles of that nature should be more accurately described as ‘women’. Yes, I know The Woman on the Train is less catchy and I’m sure a ton of focus research said that was the best title, but the infantilisation of adult women will never not boil my blood) and many of the female-centred thrillers that its stratospheric success spawned. But variety is the spice of life and, for a while at least, didn’t it feel as if every other new release was attempting to mine that particular narrative vein?
Recently, however, I’ve noticed a slight shift in the genre. Sure, there are still plenty of thrillers that centre around (often unreliable) female narrators in vulnerable situations. The genre, after all, remains HUGE (according to Nielson, 40% of UK book buyers say they read crime and thriller books and, in 2022, the genre made up 12% of print book purchases, rising to nearly a fifth of audiobooks and more than a third of e-books). But following several years of heavily plot-focused page-turners, I do feel as if the genre has begun to evolve to accommodate both a wider variety of character-driven narratives and a platform for unique storytelling methods.
All of which is a very long-winded introduction to Alyssa Cole’s One of Us Knows: the subject of today’s review and a thriller that, whilst featuring a (you guessed it) unreliable female narrator in a (guessed it again) vulnerable situation, has no qualms about slowing the pace to fully explore its central characters and premise. And as for unique storytelling methods? Well, how about a story that is told by the multiple headmates who occupy the body of a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)?
When Kenetria ‘Ken’ Nash winces into consciousness on the end of an old wooden dock on the Hudson, she has no idea why she is there. Ken has been dormant for six years and, in her absence, she and her headmates have apparently been kicked out of their apartment in the midst of a global pandemic. One of her alters, Della, has arranged a new job as resident caretaker of a historic home on an isolated Hudson River island. But now Della has disappeared and, when Ken and her remaining active alters see the Kavanaugh House for the first time, they’re shocked to discover that its an exact replica of the castle that they occupy in their inner world.
When a man turns up dead and they are trapped on the island with a group of possibly dangerous strangers, Ken and her alters are forced to work together to discover both their own connection to Kavanaugh Island and the truth behind the island’s haunted history.
To say that One of Us Knows is a cerebral book is probably to undersell it but what I mean by that is that this is a thriller that very much concerns itself with the mind. Specifically, it concerns itself with Kenetria’s mind. Large parts of the novel take place in the ‘inner world’ that Ken shares with her headmates and, as the book progresses, we get sections narrated by most of the active alters. This does take a little getting used to, especially in the novel’s opening sections, but Alyssa Cole does a great job of distinguishing between the narrative voices of the various headmates and there’s plenty of signposting to help you work out who is speaking at any given time.
I’m no psychologist so I have no idea how accurate Cole’s portrayal of DID is but I did feel like I gained an understanding of the condition’s complexities through the writing, and I appreciated that Ken’s condition was established at the outset of the novel rather than being used as a plot device. Instead the focus is upon how Ken manages her ‘system’ and how, with Della’s disappearance from it, she needs to work with her alters to re-establish their various roles within it.
As the book progresses, we also get to find out more about the trauma that resulted in Kenetria’s development of DID. Although Cole doesn’t dwell on that trauma too much, content warnings do apply for mentions of sexual violence, self harm, confinement, racism, ableism, misogyny, gaslighting, death, and violence. And whilst it didn’t bother me personally, there’s also a hefty amount of swearing.
The exploration of Kenetria’s inner world runs alongside a more conventional ‘locked room’ (or, in this case, locked island) plot that has distinct When There Were None vibes. I don’t want to say too much about the specifics of either plot, or how they interconnect, because the twists are absolute doozies but I will say that personally I found the inner plot to be the more compelling. The interactions between Ken and her various alters was, for me, both the major driver of the narrative and what made One of Us Knows really stand out. Ken and her alters each have their own distinct voices and I really enjoyed seeing the interactions between the headmates and learning more about the development and organisation of their inner world.
This is the first of Cole’s novels that I have read but, on the basis of One of Us Knows, I’d be very interested in reading more of her work. In addition to creating compelling characters, she handles discussions surrounding race, class, privilege, justice and, of course, the treatment of mental illness with sensitivity, and incorporates hefty themes into the novel without impacting upon either narrative pacing or characterisation.
Overall, One of Us Knows made for a compelling and unique thriller. The various plot strands and multiple narrators are well handled whilst the slower pace gave more time for the establishment of both the multiple narrators that co-exist within Kenetria’s inner world and the characters she is interacting with outside of it. With shades of contemporary gothic in the setting – and a hint of horror in the ghostly subplot – Alyssa Cole is clearly unafraid of flexing the boundaries of the thriller genre and I very much look forward to exploring both her backlist and whatever she publishes next!
NB: This review also appears on my blog at https://theshelfofunreadbooks.wordpress.com as part of the blog tour for the book. My thanks go to the publisher for providing a copy of the book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Misogyny, Self harm, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic, Confinement, Gun violence, Ableism, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, and Classism
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, Murder, Cursing, Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Racial slurs, Grief, Sexual violence, Confinement, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, Classism, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
lbelow's review against another edition
5.0
Mind the triggers, and happy reading!
Graphic: Child abuse, Torture, Murder, Gore, Gaslighting, Sexism, Classism, Cursing, Blood, Racism, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Hate crime, Lesbophobia, Death, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Ableism, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Suicide attempt and Abandonment
leahkarge's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexism, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Classism, Murder, Rape, Self harm, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Hate crime, Infidelity, Blood, and Stalking
paronomaniac's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Racism, and Ableism
Minor: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Gun violence
devynreadsnovels's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Racism, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, Addiction, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Racial slurs, Sexism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Classism, Murder, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Lesbophobia, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Cursing, Gun violence, Misogyny, Abandonment, Blood, Kidnapping, Confinement, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual harassment
uranaishi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Gaslighting, Misogyny, Sexism, and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Blood, Gun violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Racism, and Sexual violence
Minor: Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Gore, Stalking, Chronic illness, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Rape, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Slavery, War, Ableism, Alcohol, and Sexual content
corrieroe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
One of Us Knows is a thriller with multiple mysteries that created a gothic atmosphere but that is also grounded in reality. I ultimately thought it was trying to do too much in its conclusion, but it has a solid foundation and interesting characters that make it an easy read.
I was excited to receive an ARC of this book from the publishers via a giveaway. I read When No One Is Watching in 2020 (also coincidentally received through a giveaway), and thought Alyssa Cole's foray into thrillers was solid and compelling. This book reminded me a lot of When No One Is Watching in its tone and outlook.
Like much of Cole's writing, the story hooked me from the start. It was natural to learn alongside Ken, our protagonist, who has dissociative identity disorder (DID), as she came back to fronting after six years of essentially mental hibernation, when her headmates led them through the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. I did not know anything about DID but felt like I learned something through reading this book, and, as always with Cole, through a holistic, compassionate, and humanizing lens. The mysteries of this book were not only what was happening with the historic home where Ken and her headmates have apparently accepted a job, but also with what is going on with their inner world.
In addition to the pandemic, there are some things included / alluded to in this book that may be a no-go for some. I'd check out the readers submitted content warnings and am including those that stuck out the most to me.
Graphic: Misogyny, Mental illness, Hate crime, Homophobia, Death, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic, Ableism, Death of parent, Confinement, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Murder, Abandonment, Trafficking, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit