I have read all of Charlotte Duckworth’s books. And with each one I begin by thinking, no, she can’t…… a few pages later, no, she can’t possibly…… a chapter later, no, she can’t…….possibly imagine another darkly twisted tale that will have you reading way past your bedtime because you just can’t stop. But dear reader she can! And she has. I think The Sanctuary is her best yet.
A sanctuary, a yoga retreat is just such an incredible paradox to the sensations you actually experience when you read this book. The whole novel is a sustained melting pot of tensions and unease. At silly o’clock in the early hours of the morning, the feverish turning of pages was all you would have been able to hear from my house.
Four pregnant women arrive for what should be a prenatal weekend of pampering. Their hostess, Selina, seems to be calm and experienced, full of positive and useful advice for managing their pregnancies. But nothing is as it seems. Of course not! We wouldn’t have a story if it were!
Although not necessarily apparent instantly every single character has a secret of some kind. Nicky and Bonnie are sisters, with hints of sibling tensions. Georgia is a journalist missing her transatlantic boyfriend, Poppy, unsure if she’s sixteen or seventeen weeks pregnant, suggests some unresolved issues. Then there are the four residents at the sanctuary Selina, her partner Will, her son Kai and Badger, the volunteer……. None of the characters are particularly likeable or so it seemed to me! But I often think that is important in books of this genre because you don’t need to invest too much emotionally in any of them, as a reader, or it can cloud your objectivity as you’re trying to unravel what’s going on.
A cast of characters who will all test your powers of deduction and your equilibrium before you finish the book! However I refuse to be the Queen of spoilers so I’ll say nothing of what transpires except that it is very much an onion type tale where layer by layer the truths are revealed. So
it’s not a shocker of a tale and therein lies some of its strength. Because it’s a series of subtly, unexplained, disturbing events that create such a palpable sense of unease and the sense everything is spiralling out of control. But it is a very “busy“ plot. It very cleverly builds up to the crescendo and conclusion with sinister chills around every corner. And I suppose maybe subliminally, it has something to say about the new age, self help culture from well-intentioned and supposedly knowledgeable gurus.
Several of the chapters had one of those italicised prologues that you frequently get at the start of a thriller, usually you’re given few clues as to the identity of the narrator. It works well here and I don’t know if it was just me but I didn’t have an inkling till the end of who it was!
I’m full of admiration for the quality of the plotting and how all the ends are tied up you aren’t left dangling. But now that I’ve finished the book I need to go and have a lay down because I am, frankly, exhausted! 😉
My thanks to Ella Patel at Quercus books for an advance proof and a place upon the social media blast.
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