Who’s ready for a ghost story? Not a violent demonic possession like the latest Conjuring movie. No, a quiet and refined little story of a spirit who just won’t leave her perfect house. In The Therapist, the ghost is determined to run the new owners straight out of HER house. Now.
Alice and Leo are just moving in together after eighteen months of long-distance dating. They have found the perfect house in a small, gated community in London. The price is incredibly low, and they are enchanted. But one night, soon after moving in, everything changes. Leo feels someone watching them while they sleep. But after searching the house, and finding no one, he has to admit he may have imagined it. But the experience impacts Alice more deeply.
“For a moment, the silence is absolute and my mind flicks to the thought of someone here; a stranger watching us as we slept. It’s only as I stand there, shrouded in perfect stillness that a thought slams into my head. I don’t like this house.“
The Therapist is a slow-building tale. Alice is of the old fashioned had-I-but-known school of heroines. By which I mean, she’s definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed. Her observation skills could use some work too. A boyfriend who wants you to himself is clearly a warning sign in a psychological thriller. Yet Alice doesn’t see it. Perhaps noisily investigating a previously solved murder in your house is not the best long-term survival plan either. Even if that is the only way to silence your ghost. Sometimes, moving away from danger is the right answer.
While Alice’s behavior is challenging (and requires frequently yelling at her in my mind), I still enjoyed reading this ghost story and domestic suspense thriller mash-up. Perhaps you will too. 4 stars!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.