About The Book
Zoey doesn’t remember anything about last night. But she knows something went badly wrong. For she is no longer in New York. She’s woken up in the desert, in a white building she doesn’t recognise, and she’s alone.
When she discovers she’s been admitted to The Sanctuary, a discreet, mysterious, isolated refuge from normal life, to avoid jail, she is stunned. She knows she has secrets, troubles, but she thought she had everything under control. But as she spends more time with other residents, she begins to open up about what she’s running from. Until she realises that not everyone in The Sanctuary has her best interests at heart, and someone might even be a killer . . .
My Review
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. I enjoyed the author’s previous book The Dark but this one had a lot more of an impact on me. I had more liking for the characters and could see the pain and anxiety that they tried to hide.
Anybody would be a little concerned and scared if they woke up in unfamiliar house
and then finding out that they were in a desert many miles from where they had been living. No belongings, no way of contacting friends, everyone a stranger and also extremely hungover. I had a lot of sympathy for Zoey.
When she first arrived at The Sanctuary she was resistant to any help it could give her, but gradually you could see a change, and even though you still didn’t know who had arranged for her to be sent there you could see the positive impact it had on her health and attitude, especially being able to admit that she might have a problem with addiction.
The more I read the more I liked her. It was obvious that her way of life was a coping mechanism and the full reason was slowly revealed. But the author showed that all of the people who were there had similar stories. Some were more likeable than others, in honesty there were none I detested. Probably because all of them I had a lot of sympathy for. She also showed that there was more than one type of addiction, not just alcohol or drugs.
It’s surprising that a huge area could create a claustrophobic atmosphere, the only reason I could come up with was because it would be so easy to be in danger. Not just from someone within the sanctuary but also the environment. This became more evident towards the end when the small group of people realised what danger they were in.
A fantastic novel that I struggled to put down.
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