You've all heard the term 'gas lighting' and this book is a perfect portrayal of this. A perfect picture of domestic and psychological abuse. Its an amazing book that kept me hooked from start to finish. The main character Marianne, on the outside appears to have a perfect life. Married to Simon, a fine up and coming heart surgeon. Handsome and charismatic. They live in a dream home, surrounded by beautiful things and their 3 perfect children. However, scratch under the surface and the truth is very ugly. Marianne fights on a daily basis to keep her family together. To keep it perfect. Plagued by mental health problems Marianne feels she is the cause of anything that goes wrong for her family. She feels honoured that Simon is her husband and is constantly striving to show her appreciation to him. To show him how much she appreciates the life he has bestowed upon her. She's the epitome of a woman terrified to rock the boat. Terrified to upset her husband for fear of reprisals. And, while Simon appears to be the perfect husband he is a very dark character, wielding his power in the house with an iron fist and using Marianne's fears and paranoia to control her. Marianne is content to live this life if it means she keeps her children and maintains the facade of a perfect family. That is until Caroline comes into their lives and Marianne must be brave and face all her demons to ensure that Caroline doesn't take her place. Simon and Caroline have plans for a future together and that means getting Marianne out of the way first.

What an amazing book this is. One tip though................don't read it before bedtime as you'll end up dreaming about it all night! I found Marianne's character so interesting. I've worked with women like her and seen the devastation that abuse like this causes. Sue Watson has portrayed her spot on and Simon is just such a horrible person. He has manipulated Marianne right from the beginning of their relationship and we learn snippets of this throughout the book. What Marianne thinks is love is actually more control. He has systematically turned her from the professional and confident woman she once was into someone almost begging for his love and approval.

The book is well written with the first half mainly about Marianne and her life with Simon. It covers her obsession that he will leave her for another woman. After all, her illness has seen her accuse him of affairs in the past. The second half of the book is more about her feeling strong enough to protect what is hers. I think my only criticism would be that the first half is a bit too long and at times repetitive. That being said, I still enjoyed it very much. I love books that are difficult to put down and that make it difficult to forget about the characters. Marianne is a character that I thought about periodically when I wasn't reading the book. I worried about her and was keen to find out what was going to happen to her. That's the sign of a great book. Definitely a recommended read from me! A love a book with a good twist too. A great read that would make a superb tv drama!