The ruining - 06/11/13 *****
Annie Phillips is thrilled to leave her past behind and begin a shiny new life on Belvedere Island, as a nanny for the picture-perfect Cohen family. In no time at all, she falls in love with the Cohens, especially with Libby, the beautiful young matriarch of the family. Life is better than she ever imagined. She even finds romance with the boy next door.
All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play?
After reading this book I went to tell someone about it, after being on such a roller coaster of 300 pages I felt I had to boast about this amazing book I had found, but when I came to explaining it I realised it is hard to find the words to describe The Ruining. It is one of those books where the psychological aspect is so great you need to read it to feel it. And feel it I did.
The entire read leaves you experiencing the same emotions of Annie, the worry, the annoyance, the -am-i-going-crazy moment. Anna Collomore does a fantastic job of making you feel as if Annie is going crazy, knowing Libby is behind it and feeling even more insane over it. I have a serious love for psychological thrillers and had no clue that this was one, and boy I was shocked. It is one of the best I have read.
I can't even find the words to review this properly. I am just speechless, even a day after reading it. I will just keep it brief and say that it is well written, absolutely fantastic at messing with your head and even feels realistic. My family has employed nannies in the past to take care of younger siblings of mine, so a lot of years of my childhood I can remember having a nanny around, we've had our share of crazy ones too, so this book hits very close to home, although none of them have married into the family and made a habit of destroying lives. That's just another day for Libby Cohen.
Although some things were easy to predict early in the book it is still fascinating.
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking loving libby while being abused by Libby is a character flaw, but that is exactly what a person subject to emotional manipulation of Libby's level is going to experience. Annie believes she loves Libby, but knows in the back of her mind that something is wrong, yet she can't grasp it because every time she gets close Libby convinces her that she is losing her mind and doesn't know what she is talking about, because "I want to take care of you" to a child from a home of neglect and abuse is the world and Annie wanted so desperately to believe this new "perfect" family loved her, something she was lacking in her own home.
Alright, I'll round up here, and leave off with a…
This is a book that every person should read during their lifetime. It is just something everyone should experience.
5 stars.
All too soon cracks appear in Annie's seemingly perfect world. She's blamed for mistakes she doesn't remember making. Her bedroom door comes unhinged, and she feels like she's always being watched. Libby, who once felt like a big sister, is suddenly cold and unforgiving. As she struggles to keep up with the demands of her new life, Annie's fear gives way to frightening hallucinations. Is she tumbling into madness, or is something sinister at play?
After reading this book I went to tell someone about it, after being on such a roller coaster of 300 pages I felt I had to boast about this amazing book I had found, but when I came to explaining it I realised it is hard to find the words to describe The Ruining. It is one of those books where the psychological aspect is so great you need to read it to feel it. And feel it I did.
The entire read leaves you experiencing the same emotions of Annie, the worry, the annoyance, the -am-i-going-crazy moment. Anna Collomore does a fantastic job of making you feel as if Annie is going crazy, knowing Libby is behind it and feeling even more insane over it. I have a serious love for psychological thrillers and had no clue that this was one, and boy I was shocked. It is one of the best I have read.
I can't even find the words to review this properly. I am just speechless, even a day after reading it. I will just keep it brief and say that it is well written, absolutely fantastic at messing with your head and even feels realistic. My family has employed nannies in the past to take care of younger siblings of mine, so a lot of years of my childhood I can remember having a nanny around, we've had our share of crazy ones too, so this book hits very close to home, although none of them have married into the family and made a habit of destroying lives. That's just another day for Libby Cohen.
Although some things were easy to predict early in the book it is still fascinating.
A lot of people make the mistake of thinking loving libby while being abused by Libby is a character flaw, but that is exactly what a person subject to emotional manipulation of Libby's level is going to experience. Annie believes she loves Libby, but knows in the back of her mind that something is wrong, yet she can't grasp it because every time she gets close Libby convinces her that she is losing her mind and doesn't know what she is talking about, because "I want to take care of you" to a child from a home of neglect and abuse is the world and Annie wanted so desperately to believe this new "perfect" family loved her, something she was lacking in her own home.
Alright, I'll round up here, and leave off with a…
This is a book that every person should read during their lifetime. It is just something everyone should experience.
5 stars.