This is a fine novel with a single exception that I’ll get to in a minute. The prose is excellent, the protagonist (the mom) is both sympathetic and scary, the kids are well drawn, and the gymnastics background is totally convincing. What I liked best is that it’s got a serious point to make about the way we push our children to succeed.
My one complaint is that, after spending virtually the entire book inside Katie’s head, Abbott jumps into another viewpoint to reveal one piece of information not available to Katie. Not only was the switch disorienting, but the info it revealed was something I would rather have been left wondering about. It felt like a genre move in an otherwise literary novel.
Despite my complaint, this is a compelling novel and recommended to fans of Paula Hawkins or Laura Lippman.