Book Review: Deceiving Ellie by Julie McLaren

This is a bit of a mixed bag of a novel, but captivating and enthralling nonetheless.

Ellie is a creative writing student who falls for the good looking but somewhat unfathomable Adam. From the very start of the book we know that this man is not quite normal, not entirely straightforward and that something is almost certainly going to go horribly wrong for Ellie. Or indeed, already has as much is related in the form of Ellie's diaries. I liked the light nature of Ellie's narrative and it worked very well to illustrate her innocence and naivete.

What happens is extraordinary and unexpected and just a little bit beyond belief, but having previously read and enjoyed The Music of the Spheres, I should have know that Julie McLaren thinks beyond the ordinary. That is my only quibble; in the Spheres the out of the ordinary is dealt with humorously and somewhat irreverently, whereas here we are encouraged to believe that the downright weird is just normal. It didn't quite work, for me.

Having said that, I read this in just four sittings and failed to sow a load of broccoli and cabbages as a result, always the sign of a good read! The final twists and turns are unexpected and clever, and ultimately this is a satisfying four star novel.