At its most basic level Stephanie Bishop’s new novel, The Anniversary, is about a tragedy that befalls a married couple onboard a cruise ship midway to Japan. But scratch a little deeper and it is so much more than that.

The themes of gender, power, truth and creative control are all fleshed out in this well-crafted story, which uses the devices of the psychological thriller to build suspense and keep the reader second-guessing what might happen next.

It’s a page-turning literary read because the author expertly drip-feeds snippets of information, so you must continually reassess the narrator and wonder what she’s not telling you — and why.

For a more detailed review, please visit my blog.