She sleeps, a pale girl in a white room . . .
Three years ago, Gabe saw his daughter taken. In the back of a rusty old car, covered in bumper stickers. He was driving behind the car. He watched her disappear. But no one believes him. Most people believe that his daughter, and wife, are dead. For a while, people believed that Gabe was responsible.
Three years later and Gabe cannot give up hope. Even though he has given up everything else. His home, his job, his old life. He spends his days and nights traveling up and down the motorway, sleeping in his camper van in service stations, searching for the car that took her. Searching for his daughter.
Katie spends a lot of her life in service stations, working as a waitress. She often sees Gabriel, or ‘the thin man’ as she has nicknamed him. She knows his story. She feels for him, because Katie understands what it’s like to lose a loved one. Nine years ago, her father was murdered. It broke her family apart. She hasn’t seen her oldest sister since the day of the funeral; the day she did something terrible.
Fran and her daughter, Alice, put in a lot of miles on the motorway. Not searching. But running. Trying to keep one step ahead of the people that want to hurt them. Because Fran knows the truth. She knows what really happened to Gabe’s daughter. She knows who is responsible. And she knows that if they ever find them, they’re dead.
Title: The Other People
Author: C.J. Tudor
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Digital ARC
Publication Date: January 28th, 2020
Goodreads//Amazon
Rating: 4.4//5
Last year, I fell in love with C.J. Tudor’s The Chalk Man and I was so delighted to get the opportunity to read her new book.
This story follows three people – Gabe, Katie, and Fran, all on different paths, that are all linked to each other in a truly wild ride.
Let’s start with Gabe – poor poor Gabe. My heart broke for this man so many times. He lost everything in one day, and no one believes him that his daughter is still alive somewhere. As horrible as it was, I loved reading his journey, his love for his daughter, and the mysteries of what he did on Mondays.
Then there’s Katie – the single mom just trying to hold her life together by working overnights and a service station and doing the most she can for her kids. She’s a genuinely good person, but unfortunately has not had the best life.
And finally there is Fran, the mother to Alice, the two of them seem to live their life entirely on the run. But who are they running from? And what will happen when they finally catch up?
First, I want to talk about the magical aspect of this book because I’m still a little confused by it. Alice has some form of narcolepsy, but when she wakes up she’s always holding a pebble. These pebbles, and the mysterious girl in her dreams tie into the story in a HUGE way, but I still don’t completely understand some of it.
Next, we have The Other People. The mysterious organization that ties our different characters together, only found on the deepest depths of the internet, their motto is an eye for an eye. They trade in favors, seeking justice for those who have been wronged – but you never know what they will ask of you in return.
People say hate and bitterness will destroy you. They’re wrong. It’s hope. Hope will devour you from the inside like a parasite.
We also have the mysterious girl who lives in a vegetative state – who is she? and who is her mysterious visitor?, and the Samaritan, a “friend” of Gabe’s, who honestly, gave me the heebie jeebies from the start. If you call yourself a one word title and say things like “I have many names” you’re probably a scary ass person.
This is one where I can’t talk too much about the plot – there’s a lot going on and even the smallest revelations could be major spoilers – but I will say how much I enjoyed it.
A few of the twists I saw coming, but a lot of them still surprised me. The identities of a few of the characters are surprising, but I loved how every single character was connected in some strange way, whether it was a good thing or not.
This story is creepy, thought provoking, twisty, and everything I love in a thriller. I loved the way all the pieces came together (even the one’s that were a little bit cliche), and how truly terrifying The Other People were. The very idea that they could be anyone – and they’re always watching, is more than enough to make this my favorite thriller of the year.
The Other People is officially on sale next Tuesday, January 28th! I highly recommend this novel and cannot wait to hear what everyone thinks of it!
*Thank You NetGalley, Penguin, and CJ Tudor for the advanced copy.
Caffeinated Book Owl 