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A review by chrissireads
The Never List by Koethi Zan
4.0
The Never List has been on my radar for quite some time now. My sister read it last year, and immediately she was trying to get me to read it. But you know the problems of a bookworm/book blogger. I had too many books to read before getting around to this one! However, I always take part in the Richard and Judy Book Club, so when they had included it in their Spring Reads, it forced me to read it sooner. I thought The Never List was a gripping, disturbing psychological thriller. It surprised me that it was a debut. It felt incredibly accomplished.
I thought this story had great premise. It starts with best friends Jennifer and Sarah experiencing a near fatal accident. It makes the girls paranoid that something is going to happen to them that may end in death. So, they make a ‘Never List’. Things that they should do to keep them safe. The girls keep to this list, until they become more confident. Whilst at college, they become more lax. The girls get into a car one day, they are abducted and thrown into a cellar with some other girls. Down in the cellar the girls experience some shocking torture. Jennifer is thrown into a box to live, whilst Sarah and the other girls are tortured weekly, whilst their captor takes notes on their reactions. This ordeal goes on for 3 years, until Sarah manages to escape and saves the other girls.
The story then shifts to the present tense, 10 years later. Sarah is living practically as a hermit, still seeking therapy to get over the terrible ordeal. It’s time for the parole hearing of the captor, and Sarah has to be encouraged to speak at the hearing, so he isn’t released from prison. Sarah is still receiving letters from the captor. She’s still wondering where Jennifer’s body is. Sarah has accepted that Jennifer is dead, and she thinks if she can find Jennifer’s body, then it will keep the captor in jail.
Overall, The Never List is a very good read. For me, it began to slow in the middle, but then it picked up pace and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. I actually found my mouth dropping at the twist towards the end. I certainly didn’t expect it.
I can’t wait to see what this talented author comes out with next. I was very impressed with The Never List, so I shall be keeping an eye out for her next work!
I thought this story had great premise. It starts with best friends Jennifer and Sarah experiencing a near fatal accident. It makes the girls paranoid that something is going to happen to them that may end in death. So, they make a ‘Never List’. Things that they should do to keep them safe. The girls keep to this list, until they become more confident. Whilst at college, they become more lax. The girls get into a car one day, they are abducted and thrown into a cellar with some other girls. Down in the cellar the girls experience some shocking torture. Jennifer is thrown into a box to live, whilst Sarah and the other girls are tortured weekly, whilst their captor takes notes on their reactions. This ordeal goes on for 3 years, until Sarah manages to escape and saves the other girls.
The story then shifts to the present tense, 10 years later. Sarah is living practically as a hermit, still seeking therapy to get over the terrible ordeal. It’s time for the parole hearing of the captor, and Sarah has to be encouraged to speak at the hearing, so he isn’t released from prison. Sarah is still receiving letters from the captor. She’s still wondering where Jennifer’s body is. Sarah has accepted that Jennifer is dead, and she thinks if she can find Jennifer’s body, then it will keep the captor in jail.
Overall, The Never List is a very good read. For me, it began to slow in the middle, but then it picked up pace and I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on. I actually found my mouth dropping at the twist towards the end. I certainly didn’t expect it.
I can’t wait to see what this talented author comes out with next. I was very impressed with The Never List, so I shall be keeping an eye out for her next work!