This is a slow burn of a novel, but at least for the first half it held my attention well. I was interested in the artist, Vanessa, and I could sense the layers of mystery beneath her life, and I was intrigued by Becker too and his obsession with her art. But then it did start to drag a little, and I found myself liking Becker less and less, and nobody in the story was very nice at all...I did like the way the story was told though, in bits and pieces and fragments of letters and diaries. It conjured up that feeling of wading through an archive, or mooching through someone's personal correspondence and uncovering truths about their life.
It's certainly atmospheric as well, especially the parts about the island, Eris. But I felt let down by the ending. I had guessed much of it, but had been hoping for a big twist that didn't come. I was left with lots of unanswered questions, so mixed opinions overall - I read it fairly easily, I was interested in the art and the artist's life, but it ultimately left me dissatisfied.
With thanks to Net Galley for my copy.
Title: The Blue Hour
Author: Paula Hawkins
ISBN: 9781529938067
Due to be published: 10th October 2024
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