Book Review: The Watcher

What I liked the most:

This is a tense psychological horror novel, especially the first and third acts - and there are plenty of spots in the second act that bring high levels of tension. The last forty pages specifically were high level page-turning on my end, the balance of the book shortening with every twisting development on the way. My favorite part about the book isn’t even the tension though, its the ambiguity. This is a psychological thriller that left me with a lot of questions, but the main one is what the hell is the real story? I found this ambiguity and this excellent balancing of the two opposing accounts of events in the book to be the novel’s biggest feat. As much as I think about it afterward, I can’t get to the truth - and I love it. There’s an especially interesting turn in the third act that seems to swing the story one way, but the truth behind it never emerges.

What I liked the least:

My attention span drifted a lot through the length second of act of the book, where information continues to come up involving the protagonist and (SPOILER ALERT) his past lives. It goes on quite a bit and involves a few plot events that for didn’t add to my enjoyment of the book or my understanding of the protagonist. For me the ‘past lives’ thread didn’t live up to the shock and horror of the first thirty pages.

Is it Worth it?

For me, yes - barely. The ambiguity explored in the book was enjoyable - before getting muddled in the middle this was on pace to be one of my favorite books. It’s still quite good and leaves a lasting impression, but I’d recommend this more for the die-hard horror reader.

Spoilers or Warnings?

There is violence to animals in this book. As the pull-out quote on the cover says, if you’re easily upset don’t pick this one up.