This novel was more of a slow burn, so it took me a while to be drawn in. The characters were satisfyingly complicated and messy and the heavy themes were handled well. I also appreciated that Saskia was allowed to break out of the box of "good survivor."

There was just something that didn't quite work for me... maybe the heavy handed writing style and a lot of suspended disbelief required from the reader? Something just didn't quite come together for me leaving the story a bit flat. I liked Kapelke-Dale's other novel, The Ballerinas, better.

Please be mindful of the trigger warnings before reading this book!

Because I previewed and enjoyed Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s The Ballerinas last year, I was invited to read her upcoming novel The Ingenue as well. Unfortunately, my ability to fully appreciate The Ingenue was affected by the fact that I’ve a few too many books recently where women are mentally, physically, emotionally, and sexually abused, most often by the men in their lives. As was the case in The Seven or Eight Deaths of Stella Fortuna, the description for The Ingenue couched things in vague-enough language that it isn’t really a bait-and-switch but it also isn’t clear how much of the story is going to focus on some form of sexual abuse. And the central character’s gradual shift in how she understands and views that crucial relationship from her past is a key part of her journey so I also understand why it was approached that way, but given the nature of that relationship and how triggering/upsetting it can be, I feel like the description should at least have a reference to Lolita or something – alluding to it being set post #MeToo is simply not enough for the nature of the “complicated history” at the center of the story. Looking beyond my personal disappointment that it wasn’t the story I was hoping it would be, The Ingenue is very effective in its depiction of how those who’ve been manipulated and abused can narrativize their experience in ways that help protect themselves. And as with The Ballerinas, the ending may not be entirely realistic, but it’s probably more satisfying because of that.

Saskia Kreis was blindsided by her mother’s death. It wasn’t particularly sudden but her mother didn’t want her to know about her diagnosis and concealed it from her. Another unexpected blow comes when Saskia and her father learn that their large family estate was left, not to Saskia but to one of her mother’s colleagues, Patrick. In trying to untangle the web of her mother’s intentions and deciding to fight the will that would see her family’s legacy given away, Saskia must confront the painful truths of her past relationship with Patrick as well as the complicated relationship she had with her mother. Questions of agency, legacy, and obligation weave a net that threatens to trap Saskia as a version of herself that she isn’t sure she wants to be. She’ll have to make up her mind before others make the decision for her.

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Thank you Netgalley for providing a digital ARC.

The Ingenue is a slow-paced revenge thriller about reliving and addressing trauma. Normally I prefer books that move more quickly, but the pacing of this was perfect for the story. I also loved the way the fairy tales started each chapter, which I think added some lightness to a rather dark read.
 
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Saskia has returned home after her mother’s death, faced with memories and fears that she buried a long time ago. But now that he mother’s house has been left to a man that she has a history with, she has to face what happened all those years ago. Her pay as a piano prodigy, a girl who never fit in, who constantly struggled with her relationship with her mother, and the complicated history with an abuser all combine to question the depths of feminism, and how far someone will go to prove herself.

I had complicated feelings about this book. Described as My Dark Vanessa meets The Queen’s Gambit, the relationships with men and her love/hate relationship with her talent are very clear. There are for sure trigger warnings for sexual abuse of a minor, grooming, and a dark predatory overall theme. But there was also lightness interspersed with the fairy tales her mother had written from a feminist perspective that also made me smile. I have some unanswered questions as well. I believe there’s more than one predator of the story, and I feel bad for Saskia’s constant abuse coming from many directions, at childhood and as an adult. 

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5, and I’d recommend it for fans of My Dark Vanessa that can handle the tough dark themes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.