'The Anonymous Girl' by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen (Book Review)
Hello, wonderful members of the Hive Book Club community 📚✨ and a #weekend Salute! to each Hive member who is reading this right now!
I'm thrilled to be part of this vibrant group of readers and literary enthusiasts. My name is Zpek, and I'm a passionate reader eager to embark on exciting literary journeys with all of you. From timeless classics to contemporary gems, I find joy in exploring diverse genres and discovering hidden literary treasures. Especially during winter holidays and while traveling by plane or train.
In the spirit of our shared love for books, I'll be occasionally sharing my thoughts and insights through book reviews here on Hive Book Club. I believe that a good book is not just read but experienced, and I can't wait to exchange ideas, recommendations, and engaging discussions with this fantastic community.
So, here's a warm 'Hi' to everyone!
Let's embark on this literary adventure together and make the Hive Book Club a haven for book lovers like us.
Let's start :)
"Sometimes, an impulsive decision can alter the course of your life." This holds for Jessica Farris, a makeup artist who, enticed by a generous financial offer, chooses to participate in an ethics and morality study conducted by a distinguished psychiatrist in New York. 'The Anonymous Girl' (by the New York Times best-selling authors Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen) becomes Subject #52, and what initially seems like a questionnaire spanning a few days transforms into a twisted game of a toxic and dangerous connection.
Ironically, Jessica enters this morality and ethics study through deception, posing as a client instead of a participant. The ensuing questions are challenging, touching sensitive chords and evoking emotions, guilt, or regret.
There are no right or wrong answers, but subjects must respond honestly, no matter how personal or intimate the question, superficial responses not being accepted. The psychiatrist proposes the continuation of the study, offering tempting, significantly larger sums, stepping beyond the bounds of an academic exercise conducted in front of a computer, into an exploration of morality and ethics in real life.
Confiding is not easy for Jessica, yet she feels liberated after each secret shared during the experiment sessions. She trusts this therapist when told that she is more than just a subject and becomes entangled in a game that "has a way of extracting the truth from people, especially when it comes to things they'd rather bury."
Over time, Dr. Shields' requests become increasingly bizarre and even dangerous, and Subject #52 begins to question more:
Why is she receiving so much money to disclose her personal secrets?
What does the psychiatrist do with the information she reveals?
She realizes that she knows so little about Dr. Shields compared to the significant secrets she has shared. Every new detail she learns about the psychiatrist's personal life shatters the perfect image she has created.
Quote from the book: "Sometimes, a therapist luring you to share all your secrets holds the biggest secret in the room."
The web woven by Dr. Shields drags her into a carousel of strange and unexpected events. Is she paranoid, or is this psychiatrist hiding something sinister? With an unfaithful and deceitful husband, peculiar traits for someone married to a woman obsessed with morality, and an experiment subject who chose suicide, Jessica realizes that her connection with Dr. Shields "is like a noose - the more she struggles to break free, the tighter it gets." (quoting the book)
What a psychological novel full of suspense, plot twists, and well-defined characters! 'The Anonymous Girl' is essentially a story about morality, love, betrayal, anger, and obsession.
And now, for literature enthusiasts: Have you ever come across a novel that delves deep into the complexities of morality and ethics, entwined with suspense and psychological twists?
If so, how did it captivate your interest, and what elements stood out to you?
Share your thoughts and recommendations below!
Thanks for reading!
With respect,
Zpek