Literary reviews by Tim Love.
Warning: Rather than reviews, these are often notes in preparation for reviews that were never finished, or pleas for help with understanding pieces. See Litref Reviews - a rationale for details.

Saturday 4 November 2023

"Rewind" by Catherine Ryan Howard

An audio book.

On video a balaclava'd killer stabs a woman who's in bed, waited for her to wake.

Natalia, 30, has left home in Cork to stay in one of 6 isolated holiday cottages in Shanamore, near Cork. She wants cottage 6 because that's where something's happened before. She asks Andrew, the owner, if he's seen Michael her husband. He says no. She doesn't know that cameras are installed in the rooms. She finds a significant poetry book - evidence that Michael's been there? The book disappears. Somebody leaves a message, telling her to go. She meets Richard, a shifty odd-job-man.

Audrey is staying at her younger sister Dee's house but they'll all have to move within 3 weeks. Audrey's a reporter of sorts. She's been asked to find out about Natalia, a missing celeb. She arranges an interview with Natalie's partner of 10 years, Michael, who's also a celeb. She goes to Shanamore, stays in room 6, asks if people have seen Natalia or Michael.

Jennifer, a woman working a hotel, has her eyes on Michael. She's jealous of other women.

The police are interested. The local policeman is Sean. He used to holiday as a child there, and has unfinished business with Andrew - one holiday he saved his sister from having under-age sex with Andrew. Richard applied for the job Andrew got and has been angry ever since.

Andrew's father is dead. His mother is senile, institutionalized. At 13 he was a loner. Then a new girl, Caroline, turned up, taking the desk beside him. They became friends. They kissed. After a year she left. Andrew's been fixated by 13 year-olds ever since.

Audrey is send a video of the death. Richard leads her to a body. She informs the police, who are interested in how people knew what they did. There's a puzzling receipt. Richard, under anothe name, had been a bank robber.

PoV switches to Jennifer. Her hotel has cameras too. She's been selling footage online and has been exploiting Andrew - she has footage of him, and gets footage from him. Michael once stayed at her hotel. After the murder is announced she visits him to make friends. He only knows her as a hotel receptionist he saw once by chance. She's obsessed by him. She killed Natalie.

Chapters are prefaced with phrases like "Fast forward for 47 seconds". The scenes aren't presented chronologically. At the end we're given an extract from a forthcoming book by Audrey, tidying up loose ends, and repeating some details.

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