The Picture On The Fridge by Ian W. Sainsbury
About the
book:
Mags Barkworth
still suffers the effects of a life-changing tragedy over a decade ago.
She knows her
husband loves her. She knows he would never do anything to hurt her, or their
daughter. But what if the voice in her head, the one she’s pushed away with
therapy and anti-depressants, is telling the truth?
What if it’s
all a lie?
When Tam,
their daughter draws an uncannily detailed picture of a place she’s never
been, Mags’ life starts to unravel.
But even in
her most paranoid moment, Mags could never have guessed the secret she is
destined to uncover.
About the
author:
Ian W. Sainsbury is the author of the World
Walker series and the Half hero trilogy, among other books. He lives in East
Anglia.
My Take:
Mags
Barkworth, who is married to Bradley, stays in London, while her husband works
in a genetic research lab in Boston. They have an eleven-year-old daughter Tam.
Mags’ twin brother Kit stays nearby with his husband David.
Mags has a
history of panic attacks and anxiety disorder for which she is seeing a
psychotherapist, Ria. Ria also helps her sort out her trust issues for Bradley,
which have cropped up since they lost Tamara’s twin Clara, at birth.
The story
begins with Tamara drawing a picture so realistic and beautiful, that her
teacher especially calls Mags and shows it to her. The only problem is, Tamara
cannot recall when she drew the picture.
Soon, Tamara
draws a few more realistic pictures of places she has never been to, in a
trance-like state, and Mags makes an unexpected connection between the pictures
and certain incidents happening all the way across America.
The story also
shifts intermittently to the POV of a serial killer who is a chronic insomniac,
and believes he brings peace to his victims.
What Mags
discovers is something which she has never imagined in her wildest dreams.
This story
had me hooked right from the beginning, and it doesn’t disappoint. It is
slightly different from the usual psychological thrillers and it may be
categorized as a sci-fi thriller as well. The genetics research part is well
written and shows the knowledge of the author regarding the same.
In some
parts, description of Mags’ mental status got too much for me. Other than the
character of Mags, all other characters seem ill-defined and they just flash
briefly whenever they are relevant.
The flow of
the story picks up pace in the later part.
Overall, it
is definitely an intriguing read, and different than the usual psychological
thrillers due to the added element of science fiction.
I rate it 3.5
stars.
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