The Shallows

This started off so well with an intense narrative that switched between 'Before' and 'After'. At first, I thought it was quite chaotic because the chapters were relatively short. Therefore, as soon as you felt you were settling into the narrative, it would suddenly move timeframes and I felt like I had not properly connected with character nor plot. However, I eventually got into the pace of the novel and was excited about the idea of a woman on the run, finding more about what happened to reach this point.Yet, this intensity petered off about halfway through the novel and I started to get bored. When the past catches up with the present, everything just felt rather mundane and it moved to being incredibly far-fetched. The scenes on the island were tedious and I found I couldn't care whether Emma and her family made it out of the situation alive. Furthermore, it felt as if certain plot elements were conveniently wrapped up in order to help the story move forwards, and this just added to my frustration.The mystery surrounding Emma's neighbour was one of the things I enjoyed the most but I thought the author kept flitting between different storylines. From prostitution to drugs, money laundering to human trafficking, I would have preferred Craig to stay with one theme and then develop it. Like the constant new chapters, it felt underdeveloped and lacking in any sense of suspense.Emma is not presented as a very likeable character. She is incredibly shallow (maybe that's another layer to the novel's title?!) and appears to make very little effort into her marriage to Charles. The writer suggests a past to Emma's character but I didn't get a feeling of ever getting to know her properly. Instead, she comes across as selfish and a bit of a gossip; I didn't truly believe her intentions of helping her neighbour, but instead wanting to know what went on behind closed doors.I didn't settle into this story in the end. Although it started off with promise, it really slows in pace in the second half and I did not like how the novel concluded. It became incredibly tedious and I was neither thrilled nor invested in the characters and their fates.

Rating: 1.4/5I hate not finishing a book once I have started it, but this was one of those unfortunate occasions when seeing it through to the end was a struggle. I don't like giving one-star ratings at any time - I have great admiration for anyone who can sit down, put pen to paper and create a novel - but I feel particularly bad when that lowly rating is for an author's first published work. Holly Craig is certainly not without ideas or ability, but I think she needs some help and direction from her support team to translate that into a satisfying end product.In certain stylistic respects "The Shallows" reminded me of a short story. As a result of the format, a short-story writer is often compelled to drop the reader into the middle of an already ongoing scenario, which they need to pick up and run with. There is also very little opportunity for the writer to form well-rounded characters that the audience has time to form a connection with or at least an understanding of. Neither of those elements are constraints forced upon the author of a full-length novel and yet Holly Craig still takes that approach. The whole novel is a series of snapshots presented in an overly dramatic style. The narrative is chaotic and it seemed to me that there had been an absence of any real structural planning. The author is clearly trying to make everything seem very exciting, all of the time - but without the foundations having been properly laid, or the characters being suitably developed, I found myself simply not caring and getting more than a little bored, very quickly. There is an art to creating tension and suspense - perhaps that is something that Holly Craig will come to master in time - but it didn't work on this occasion.

The Shallows is an exploration of deception, secrets, and the human psyche, delivering a story that will leave you breathless and eager for more. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

I love a destination thriller and I love books featuring boats and islands - and The Shallows manages to combine all of those with that timeless appeal of perfect people’s lives been blown up for vicarious thrills of others. There are elements of a strong family drama with a suspenseful backstory and a great ticking clock feel for the group of women who are determined not to be defeated. I definitely recommend!