Glaciologist Felicity Lloyd lives in fear, and it's her belief that taking a job on the remote Antarctic island of South Georgia will keep her safe. But it hasn't. Her ex-husband, Freddie, is out of prison. He's found her and is coming in on the last ship of the summer.
But a possible savior is also on board. Joe, a doctor delving into Felicity's past back in Cambridge, has learned that she's been on the edge for a long time, and the only way he can think of to help her is to try and get to her first.
I've long been a fan of Sharon Bolton's Lacey Flint series and of her standalone thrillers, so I was really looking forward to reading The Split. As it turned out, the experience was a mixed blessing.
I loved both settings-- the Antarctic South Georgia Island where the seal colonies are so loud that some residents are reduced to wearing earplugs, and of the English university town of Cambridge. I wish that there could've been more written about South Georgia, but as a character, Felicity has so much emotional and mental baggage that most of the action takes place in Cambridge.
Toward the end of the book, the revelations come thick and fast, but I never felt off-balance. Maybe that's due to my a-bit-more-than-rudimentary knowledge of psychology and my reaction to Felicity. I really felt for this damaged main character and everything she'd been through but-- perhaps because of her history-- I always felt kept at a distance and never became fully invested in her as a character. I didn't warm up to the others either, except for one: Joe's mother, Delilah. I wouldn't mind seeing Delilah again. She's the type of woman with lots of attitude who would have plenty to say.
The Split is good, solid storytelling that failed in capturing my complete attention, but your mileage may certainly vary.
The Split by Sharon Bolton
eISBN: 9781250300065
Minotaur Books © 2020
eBook, 400 pages
Thriller/Suspense, Standalone
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley
