Rating: 5/5
*I was gifted an ebook copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Synopsis from Amazon:
"You can't escape what's in your blood...
All Rob wanted was a normal life. She almost got it, too: a husband, two kids, a nice house in the suburbs. But Rob fears for her oldest daughter, Callie, who collects tiny bones and whispers to imaginary friends. Rob sees a darkness in Callie, one that reminds her too much of the family she left behind.
She decides to take Callie back to her childhood home, to Sundial, deep in the Mojave Desert. And there she will have to make a terrible choice.
Callie is worried about her mother. Rob has begun to look at her strangely, and speaks of past secrets. And Callie fears that only one of them will leave Sundial alive…
The mother and daughter embark on a dark, desert journey to the past in the hopes of redeeming their future."
This book is the kind of book that makes you excited to read. Every time I picked it up, I didn't want to put it down. I'm realizing that Catriona Ward just has a way with thrillers that really vibes with me. This book was just the perfect example of what a thriller should be. Sundial is a multi-POV book that shifts between Rob in the present, past Rob, Callie, with the inclusion of some stories from Arrowood (written by Rob). There are part of this book that are shocking and parts that are downright frustrating. Basically every time Irving was in this book I wanted to fight him, something about his blatant lack of violence combined with his smug attitude made him that much worse. The twist was shocking, but fit very well. Plus, the build up to the twist was exciting, there was never a dull moment. It was like a constant flurry of action. There was a clever interweaving of a science fiction kind of element. Of course, the science incorporated into this book is of the biological science/genetic experiments variety, which is a unique addition to the story. In the vein of uniqueness, the lack of a romantic plot line is also refreshing. Gone is the trope of the heroine being saved by her love interest. No, this is women doing it for themselves.
The characters in Sundial were flawed insofar as to be unreliable so you aren't even really sure who you can trust, but it works so well in this. By the time the book is finished, you're still left with questions, but somehow the story overall still manages to feel satisfying. Like, I didn't need more. It was the perfect length. But much like the Last House on Needless Street, I feel like Sundial is another book that you could read multiple times and recognize things that you missed the first time through. There were just enough crumbs left so that the reader could follow the thread, but not so much as to give away the twist early on. And quite frankly, there are a few twists, it's possible to guess one, but not all of them. I think the inclusion of multiple twists is what I like about Catriona Ward. It seems like most thriller authors sort of lead up to one big twist and then rest on that. But Ward's use of multiple twists to add depth to her stories is just brilliant. It never serves to disappoint.
This book also has a special place in my heart as a crime theory nerd. If you've read any biological theories of crime or theories about human aggression and gene expression, that is a key component to this book. The MAOA gene and it's impact is mentioned many times in Sundial. Part of the interest is the studies that are going on in Sundial, but I won't go more into that at the risk of being spoiler-y. You'll just have to read it for yourself. But trust me, if you find biological science or genetic makeup interesting in the least, then you absolutely do not want to miss this book. Just the thought of it makes my little biosocial criminology heart go pitter patter.
There is very little that I didn't like about Sundial. The only thing that really comes to mind is the inclusion of the Arrowood chapters. I didn't really care for them. For me personally, they didn't add very much to the story, plot-wise. Although, as previously mentioned, I feel like if I reread the book, I might be able to understand what the purpose was. I refuse to believe they were just thrown in for no reason. Something tells me that there are hints to one of the big questions I have based on the inclusion of those Arrowood chapters. Without close reading though, they just felt unnecessary. Like a random break in the story with no real purpose.
All in all, when considering the story as a whole, this book was incredible. It is hands down my favorite book that I've read so far in 2022, and is on the list of my favorite thrillers of all time. I really have a hard time believing I'll read a better thriller this year. The interweaving of character relationships, plot, and mystery was so carefully done as to be masterful. Catriona Ward is truly fantastic at what she does. She paints a vivid picture that changes when gazed at from different angles, but never fails to satisfy. I really look forward to devouring whatever she puts out next. She's officially joined Gillian Flynn as one of my top thriller authors. Thank you so much to Tornightfire for making this book open for anyone to download on Netgalley for a time, I'm so happy that I was able to experience it. Have I read the ebook? Yes. Will I probably buy a physical copy? Without a doubt. I need to own a physical copy of this book (plus, the cover art is everything). If you're interested in reading Sundial, it will be available everywhere in the U.S. on March 1, 2022, wherever books are sold! I really can't recommend it enough.
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