I have read couple of books by New York Time bestselling author Lisa Unger and will definitely keep reading more by her. I am particularly interested in the everyday suspense and mystery that may surround an otherwise mundane life.
The Couple in 5B offers exactly this kind of setting. Rosie and Chad are a couple working hard to meet daily ends. But their life is about to change once Chad inherits an expensive apartment in a posh part of New York city. They cannot wait to move and everything looks like a fairy tale, until as expected, things may turn wrong. Unexpectedly wrong.
Rosie is the main narrator and I´ve found her very empathic and relatable. The kind of person that just want to have a normal life and all the exceptional circumstances are shaking her hard out of the comfort zone. She is also very precise in sharing the details and a careful observer of the changing circumstances. Chad, on the other hand, seems very distant and unreliable, kind of dark character in his weakness.
There are two story lines, the other one following the story of another couple that moved in the apartment, early 1960s. At this point, the story is related by the woman from this sub-story, Willa, which gives a predominantly feminine touch to the story.
The author dedicates a lot of time to give us insights about the characters while introducing various episodes adding more depth but also uncertainty to the story. The supernatural take to the story may make a difference compared to a classic psychological thriller, but it is used in moderate dosis and without too much Gothic kitsch. I personally loved the idea of thinking of houses as more than just real estate investments, seen as carriers of histories and recipients of feelings.
Reading the book was sometimes like watching Hitchcock-inspired movie, and I really think that this story has also a good movie potential.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimner: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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