The Nurse - Claire Allan

Author: Claire Allan

Genre: Crime Thriller

Rating: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: The story is sinister and creepy. The writing style needed to be crisper. But it’s still a thriller worth reading.

Story:

Marian’s 22 year old daughter Nell (a nurse with a local hospital) hasn’t been seen in her house-share or her workplace since four days. When Nell’s roommate calls up Marian and reports this, Marian has no clue about what’s going on except that she needs to contact the police right away. Will she be able to find out what happened to her daughter?

Nell has had an ordinary life until the day she was taken. Has she just been in the wrong place at the wrong time, or is there a darker reason for why she has been kidnapped?

The story comes to us in the first person perspectives of Marian and Nell, and in the third person perspective of “Him”, whose identity is revealed later in the book.

Where the book worked for me:

✔ The author is a former journalist and her eye for detail and research is evident in the story.

✔ The book throws light on an underground movement related to so-called ‘incels’—involuntary celibates—who believe that women have started getting too big for their boots and that they need to be taught a lesson to keep them in their original place, subservient to men. All the content related to this idea was horrendous to read. I can’t think of any other thriller that made me squirm in such discomfort because while the story is fictitious, the factual base of these “incels” is revealed in the prologue and in the author’s note at the end. At the same time, a known devil is better than an unknown one, so I appreciate the light the story threw on this unheard-of movement.

✔ The “Him” perspective is chilling and yet so well-written. To a certain extent, I identified with the character’s initial thoughts (before he digressed into mental rubbish.) Yes, I'm a woman, but I could still understand where he was coming from. There are a few women who have misused the MeToo hashtag, who have estimated men only by their net worth, who insist on women being the stronger/better gender. It must be frustrating to deal with such extreme "feminists". His ideas on “#NotAllMen” were very true, and women do need to remember that. It is sad that a part of modern-day feminism involves pushing down men at every juncture. True feminism involves asking for equal rights and opportunities, not a demand to be accepted as the superior gender by treating men like dirt. If we go that way, we are repeating the mistake of the patriarchal older generations.

✔ Though the ending was a bit abrupt and too neat, I liked it. It flowed naturally from the story and didn’t contort into a needless or unforeseen twist.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

❌ The blurb seems to be taking the story in a very different direction from what it is. Nell is not the primary character for most of the story, which comes to us mainly from the pov of Marian and “Him”.

❌ The title doesn't suit the book AT ALL! Ditto for the cover.

❌ Marian’s character arc starts off well but soon her thoughts seem more like rambles as the book progresses. It became very hard to connect or sympathise with her character.

❌ The tension between Marian and her husband, along with the details on his gaslighting and abusive nature, wasn’t relevant to the main story and served as a needless distraction.

❌ Certain plot points related to some secondary characters are left dangling. While these may not have had a direct impact on the main storyline, it would have been helpful to know more about how it happened rather than only knowing that it happened.

❌ It was very easy for me to guess who the “Him” was. 😕

All in all, I think I did like the book despite the flaws I’ve mentioned. This was my first Clair Allan title and it won’t be the last. Though disturbing, it raises an important issue. While it is scary to see that such men exist, it is also reassuring to know that they aren’t in the majority. Misogyny (and misandry) are never the right solution; high time the whole of humanity realises this.

3.75 stars from me, mainly because of the light it shed on the incel movement and the writing of the “Him” perspective, which is outstanding.

PS: I loved Heman in my childhood. It broke my heart to see the hashtag #Ihavethepower being inspired from his comics and misused this way by the creeps.

My thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Nurse”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.