The Palisades - Gail Lynn Hanson - ★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Gail Lynn Hanson

GENRE: Contemporary Literary Drama

RATING: 3.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: Quirky and unusual. Compelling in a befuddling way. BUT this wasn’t a psychological suspense as advertised. My experience fell a little flat as I went in with the wrong expectations. Will work better if read as a literary drama with a dash of dark humour.

Story Synopsis:

Eighty-three-year-old Dorothy Fiske is widowed, but she hasn’t allowed her age or her marital status to dim her passion for old Hollywood movies and expensive jewellery. She has lived a glamorous life in Los Angeles with a rich husband and famous actors as neighbours. Her only disappointment is that she never had children, for which she knew her husband Eugene was to blame. Other than that, she has lived life on her own terms, and continues to do so.

Sixty-six-year-old Ruth works as a health care aide for senior citizens. (Well, those who are much senior to her.) She had lost her earlier job at a nursing facility when residents started dying under her care, so she now targets lonely women from wealthy families and indirectly convinces them that they need her in their lives. Her latest prey is Dorothy.

When Dorothy hires Ruth as her “lady’s maid”, they begin their mind games on each other, which lead to some strange accusations and unexpected discoveries.

The story comes to us from a limited third-person perspective of the key characters.

Well, if you are looking for a quirky literary fiction that blends in dark humour with some serious themes and layered characters, this is the book for you. Unfortunately, the blurb claims that this is a psychological suspense. I really can’t figure out how this counts as psychological suspense when the psychological elements are restricted only to the mutual manipulation by Ruth and Dorothy, and the suspense track is barely there. Also, sadly for me, I guessed the “suspense” much early in the plot, so even that challenge was dampened.

Dorothy and Ruth are sketched in such depth that I couldn’t decide whether I should abhor them or feel sorry for them. Both of them are survivors in their own way, even though their familial and financial circumstances are almost a contrast to each other’s. It was entertaining to see older characters behave almost like immature teenagers trying to one-up each other surreptitiously. Old age is often called a second childhood, and these two prove it, but in all the crazy ways.

One thing I especially enjoyed were the chapter names. While a few of the chapters are named after the character they focus on, most of the chapters have something or the other to do with colour. Thus we get titles such as ‘Atomic Tangerine’, ‘Tickle me Pink’, ‘Jungle Green’ and so on. The colour in question gets a role to play in that specific chapter, though it is hardly ever blatant. I love it when authors play smart with their readers.

Another thing I liked was how the author interspersed Hollywood pop culture so seamlessly into her plot, though none of her main characters had any direct connection with moviedom.

There are plenty of themes in the book, some of which could have been much more triggering had they not been explored through hints than through direct detailing on the page. In that sense, the writing is quite intelligent. The author doesn’t throw all her cards on the table at once; rather, she builds up various segments of the jigsaw in isolation, and it takes a while for the overall picture to make sense.

(Note: I can’t detail out the triggers as all of them are major spoilers, so in general, if you are sensitive about any topic related to childbirth or sexual abuse, do proceed with care.)

The character detailing of the main and secondary characters and the role they play in the storyline makes it clear that this is a character-driven work. The plot is secondary. If you are the kind of reader who enjoys plot-driven works, this isn’t for you.

As I mentioned earlier, I went into the book with wrong expectations. A psychological suspense and a literary fiction are pretty much opposites in terms of pace, plot development, and thrills. So I had to recalibrate my presuppositions multiple times until my read-o-meter was set to ‘lit fic’ instead of ‘psych suspense.’ This took away from my overall experience.

Furthermore, the story ambles back and forth across times and characters. I read this in an overly hectic week, so my drained-out mental capacity found it tedious to go with the flow. This isn’t a book you ought to pick up when you want something quick and thrilling and easy on the mind. And as I *was* looking for something quick and thrilling and easy this week (such as a psychological suspense 👀), it’s safe to say that I picked up this book at the wrong time.

Lastly, I didn’t like the ending much. While it does offer closure and doesn’t leave any major thread hanging, it still feels incomplete somehow. I don’t know how to explain it further.

Overall, I’d still recommend this intricate indie read, but not to those looking for thrills. It is clearly a literary drama, and will work only for those who enjoy complicated characters, slow-burn plotting, and character-driven storylines. The author certainly writes well, and I do want to try her future works. I just hope that those blurbs are accurate representations of the content.)

3.25 stars. (Would definitely have been higher by 0.5 stars had I not wanted a psychological suspense as was promised to me.) 

My thanks to Slippery Fish Press and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Palisades”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.