The Never List by Koethi Zan || Book Review

I’m a firm lover of books that are plot driven rather than character driven.

Yet sometimes a character driven book hits the mark too. This book isn’t an easy read, it’s not sweet and innocent and easily digestible.

It holds details that might leave you haunted, might make your stomach knot and even develop anxiety in places you won’t expect.

DISCLAIMER: This review could contain possible spoilers based on my opinions. All opinions and views are my own.

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Originally published: 2013

Pages: 320
Format: Paperback

Plot from GoodReads:

There were four of us down there for the first thirty-two months and eleven days of our captivity.And then, very suddenly and without warning, there were three.Even though the fourth person hadn’t made any noise at all in several months, the room got very quiet when she was gone.For a long time after that, we sat in silence, in the dark, each of us wondering what this meant for her and for us, and which of us would be the next in the box.

NEVER GET IN THE CAR

For years, best friends Sarah and Jennifer kept what they called the ‘Never List’: a list of actions to be avoided, for safety’s sake, at all costs. But one night, they failed to follow their own rules.

NEVER GO OUT ALONE AFTER DARK

Sarah has spent ten years trying to forget her ordeal. But now the FBI has news that forces her to confront her worst fears.

NEVER TAKE RISKS

If she is to uncover the truth about what really happened to Jennifer, Sarah needs to work with the other women who shared her nightmare. But they won’t be happy to hear from her. Because down there in the dark, Sarah wasn’t just a victim.

Thoughts:

A first person narrative to take you on the unpleasant journey the book offers along with the main character. The POV gives you a good insight into Caroline’s mind and her feelings during situations and how her anxiety affects her every day living.

The book starts off on an interesting note and jumps into the deep side of things pretty much within the first couple of pages, leading the reader into a world of horror.

You can feel the heaviness through the flashbacks from the days of captivity and you just can’t start imagining the horror the girls must have experienced. I like the realistic depiction about how trauma isn’t always resolved, not immediately and not over a long period of time and what the realities are of living with that trauma after captivity.

The book took me back to reading The Devil’s Feather by Minette Walters, and while the pace was slow, it was the focus on the psychological aspects in the book that kept me glued to each page. Some details are left for the reader’s imagination, allowing the reader to decide how far to dwell in the terror details.

There are ties between abduction and BDSM. It’s important to understand what BDSM is and how the world within it works. The way it is portrayed in the book isn’t how it actually is. BDSM is misused in the book, and it’s only done so to help along with the plot and the definitions of certain characters. I don’t believe it’s done maliciously by the author as there are some explanations in the book that are correct to the point, while others are twisted to serve a certain purpose to amplify the story.

The twist at the end was a good one and I didn’t expect the revelation the author decided to just drop in for a last moment shock.