Hannah knows the cage intimately. Small, the size of a shopping centre parking space. A bed, a basin, a table and chair. A hatch and metal drawer through which to exchange food and other items.
Then there's him. Always there on the edges of her vision, no matter how hard she tries to block him out.
Every day, the same thoughts run through Hannah's mind:
What if he speaks to me?
What if he hurts me?
What if he gets out?
In a near-future justice system Jem, the murderer of Hannah’s husband, arrives at her home to serve out his twenty-year sentence in a cell. There it’s hoped he will learn the true cost of his terrible crime.
But Jem tells Hannah he’s innocent, and not only that, her husband had been lying to her. Soon Hannah begins to question everything she thought she knew. Was Jem wrongly convicted? Or is he simply a desperate man, willing to say and do anything that might grant his freedom?
Only he can unlock the truth. Only she can set him free.
What did I think?
I have read and enjoyed Deborah O'Connor's previous novels but oh my word she has completely outdone herself with her awesome third novel, The Captive. With an ingenious plot, blisteringly fast pacing and a gripping narrative, The Captive is completely unputdownable and absolutely brilliant.
The government has come up with a solution for overcrowded prisons which sees The Captive set in a future where victims of crimes play host to the criminals who ruined their lives. This is absolute genius! It's not only a fantastic storyline, but it's also so very thought provoking. I can completely understand that victims of most crimes wouldn't want to ever see their culprit again, never mind inviting them into their own home for twenty years or so. You often hear people saying 'put me in a room with them' when one of their family has been the victim of crime but imprisoning criminals in victims houses is for reparation not retribution.
Hannah is still grieving when a prison cell is constructed in her kitchen for Jem who, despite irrefutable proof to the contrary, professes his innocence. I loved peeling back the layers of these two main characters, especially Jem who is clearly hiding something. I could feel Hannah's every emotion about her home invasion and it was amazing to see her evolve over the course of the book.
The Captive is hugely inventive, highly original and completely captivating. The whole book is simply brilliant; I honestly couldn't put it down. The Captive is Deborah O'Connor's best novel yet and it is sure to be a huge hit in 2021; it deserves to top all of the charts and I think it's THE book to read this year. Very highly recommended and unquestionably a 5 star read.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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About the author:
Deborah O’Connor is a writer and TV producer responsible for well-loved programmes such as ‘Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds’ and ‘A League of Their Own’. She lives in North Yorkshire with her husband and daughter. Deborah's first novel was the bestseller My Husband's Son, followed by The Dangerous Kind. The Captive is her third novel. You can follow her on Twitter @deboc77
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