The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins - [Book Review]

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Book Details:

Title: The Blue Hour

Author: Paula Hawkins

Genre: Psychological fiction, thriller

Publisher: Mariner Books

Print Length: 320 pages

Source: A copy from the local library

Blurb:

A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

"A taut, slow-burning thriller." -Boston Globe

"Truly exceptional." – Liz Moore, New York Times bestselling author of The God of the Woods

Welcome to Eris: a remote Scottish island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day.

Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago in a baffling cold case.

Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation.

But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling.

And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge....

A masterful psychological thriller that is as page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins’s place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers.

Purchase Link:

Amazon

My Review:

I’ve read a few novels by Paula Hawkins before, and I’ve always enjoyed her writing. So, naturally, I had high expectations for this one—and it definitely lived up to them!

The story revolves around an artist, Vanessa, and her friend Grace, along with the complicated lives they lead and the dark secrets hidden on the isolated Eris Island.

The setting itself is one of the things I found most interesting. Eris is a private island off the Scottish coast that becomes completely cut off from the mainland for about 12 hours a day when the tide comes in. Vanessa, an artist, owns the island and has created a beautiful studio there overlooking the sea. She collects shells, bones, flowers, and other things she finds on the island and incorporates them into her artwork. She is not just a talented painter but also works with ceramics and clay.

Vanessa’s husband mysteriously disappears, and during this time, she forms a close friendship with Grace, a doctor. Years later, when Vanessa’s paintings are displayed at an art exhibition in London, something disturbing is discovered—the bone used in one of the artworks appears to be a human bone.

And that’s where things start getting much more complicated.

The discovery leads to questions about Vanessa, Grace, the island, and the secrets surrounding their lives. As more details come to light, you start wondering who you can actually trust.

What did I love?

This is a psychological thriller with complex and layered characters. There are quite a few unexpected twists, and the suspense is maintained throughout the book. The narrative keeps you curious and makes you want to keep reading to figure out what really happened.

What I particularly liked was the way Paula Hawkins portrays her characters. Nobody is completely good or completely bad. Each character has their own flaws, motivations, secrets, and darker sides. I really enjoy stories where characters aren't simply divided into heroes and villains, and this book does that very well.

The isolated island setting also adds to the atmosphere. Knowing that the island is inaccessible for several hours every day makes the story feel even more claustrophobic and mysterious.

Overall

The Blue Hour is a beautifully written and engaging psychological thriller. I also loved how fitting the title and book cover are once you get into the story.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, complicated characters, and stories full of secrets and twists, this is definitely worth picking up.

⭐ My rating: 5/5

Until next time,