To begin with, I was a little confused by the different time settings of the chapters, as there was no real indication that we had switched time frames at the beginning of the chapters, but this is definitely something I got used to as the book went along, and it became much easier to follow. Louise O’Neill is an auto-read author for me (if you haven’t read Only Ever Yours, drop what you’re reading and grab it now!

He was allowed to have aged within the last ten years, but for her to have done so was a crime against humanity') to blaming the wife when a husband has an affair. It did clear up some issues that were raised earlier in the book but still I wanted a real 'twist' that had me shocked. It’s clear not just to the reader, but to the islanders still struggling to come to terms with their loss and the outsiders still fascinated by the tragic events a decade ago, that the Kinsellas are hiding something. Henry’s mother was born on Inisrún, but having grown up in a privileged British family Henry has a complicated relationship with the island and Ireland. with the identity of the murderer always concealed - except with the constant repetition, it comes as no surprise when revealed - just a relief that the whole boring ordeal is finally over.

The narration shifts between the events leading up to the party, and the present day where the crew consisting of Noah and Jake interview the Kinsellas and other people involved. When the true events are finally revealed you realise what a roller coaster this read has been and, when you process the ending and think for a few minutes about who actually committed the murder - and what he’s doing now - then your blood runs cold. Atmospheric and eerie, I could feel the cold and damp of that tiny Irish island while, at the same time, felt suffocated by the events and the characters. The resentment of the islanders towards the wealthy Kinsella family comes across loud and clear with plenty of tension, suspicion and mistrust.

Some are pretty obvious when you think about it—the way abused people can so easily be isolated in an age where we all seem connected at the hip through our phones, the victim-blaming and lack of supports to people who actually leave their situation of abuse. Keelin and her husband Henry are the prime suspects and they've been vilified by the local residents where they live. Louise has written a fantastic thriller but also highlighted so well how coercive control can occur so seamlessly The intertwining tales of the murder and the marriage keep you engaged until the very end. In actuality, Henry is guilty of many other things—whether or not he is the murderer is not something I will spoil. Mo stór (my darling) is never translated in the novel, but it is used as an obvious term of endearment in context.

The night of Nessa’s murder is depicted well, it’s almost Bacchanalian with a wild storm adding to the mood of the evening.