The Visitors (Mini-Review)

This review was written for an ARC of the book.

The Visitors by Miranda Rijks tells the story of Hannah who is the mother of two children and the wife of a distant husband. In order to help her sense of independence she turns their barn into a holiday rental. Things take a turn for the worse when Mike, Nadia, and their daughter come to stay. Hannah is pushed to her limits to defend Daniel's innocence. But is she only trying to hide the truth from herself?

You know in bad horror movies how there's a character or two that just does stupid things? Such as falling over while running or going through a cat door in an effort to escape the killer? Well, that's Hannah in a nutshell. Early on she's a compelling character and I did connect to her. She is just starting a business and really cares about reviews. Just like I run a blog and care about the reception of everything I do. The trick is to balance politeness with honesty. Something Hannah hasn't yet learned.

But the whole mystery of the book is really dragged down by how stupid Hannah is. I could easily pick up clues but it took forever for her to see them herself. Such as the first time she couldn't use a spare key in the barn, I knew the visitors had changed the locks. Yet she has to be told by Nadia to know that. What makes her stupidity worse is the book is told in first person point of view which means you get to see her 'thought process'.

There seems to be so much useless padding that you can easily skip chunks of it and still understand the ending. I know because I did that. The only reason to read the book is if you care about the characters. And, again, I can understand why Hannah's life can be compelling.

The one moment I loved Hannah is when she discovers who E.F. is and decides to stop helping Daniel...for a moment. I really think changing the ending slightly could make the book end on a high note.

So is there some big twist that you won't see coming? It's as if Rijks knew that the book was unbearably slow and put a lot of twists in at the end. Which made the journey somewhat worth it. Some of the twists you will see coming as Hannah is not quick to notice things. Other things are surprising but make a lot of sense. In the case of E.F., it was something I guessed early on in the book but didn't guess what the initials meant.

If you interpret the book as Hannah having a shattered psyche and trying to avoid guilt it becomes so much better. Though that is clearly not what the author intended.

I know I've talked badly about the book, but there are enjoyable moments in the book. Such as when Nadia gives Hannah a tarot reading. As someone who practices tarot, I was relieved when other cards besides the Death card were shown. In my mind The Tower is more terrifying than Death.

I would recommend The Visitors by Miranda Rijks to those looking for a murder mystery.