Written by contributor Jeanette Zhukov
“Outside the door I stood for a second, hardly able to breathe. This was it. Once I went in, there was no going back.”
Following her 2018 novel, The Girl I Used to Be, the newest release from popular thriller author, Mary Torjussen, is a captivating story full of edge-of-your-seat suspense. Torjussen’s The Closer You Get is the tale of Ruby Dean, a woman in her late 30s that one day decides to leave her husband. Ruby ends her marriage and seemingly comfortable life due to the fact that Ruby and her boss, Harry, are in love and have arranged to both leave their spouses to run away together. What seems to be a thoughtfully planned out exit from her marriage quickly goes awry when Harry never shows up to meet Ruby. Full of confusion and heartbreak, Ruby is faced with the struggles of picking up the pieces of her disrupted life all while dealing with a sudden and mysterious chain of events.
The Closer You Get is a slow burn of a novel that culminates in a page-turning conclusion. Pushing the narrative along are the first person point-of-view chapters that switch between the perspectives of Ruby and Harry’s wife, Emma. The alternating chapters allow for an interesting look into the reasoning behind the actions of both women, ultimately making them relatable and sympathetic characters. Furthermore, looking through such a narrowed perspective makes readers question the truthfulness of various characters as duplicities are slowly revealed. Yet it is the overall portrayal of the story’s characters that makes the thriller feel plausible and extremely grounded in reality.
The inciting incident in the novel, Ruby leaving her marriage in order to be with the man she is having an affair with, centers the novel to explore the complexities of relationships. From toxicity and abuse to the falling out of love, Torjussen explores multiple marital situations that permeate the everyday. While extramarital affairs are generally looked down upon by society, Torjussen takes a humanistic approach with Ruby’s depiction. By looking at the situation through Ruby’s eyes, there comes an understanding of the expectations of marriage: how it can fall apart, how one can lose their sense of self, and how certain pressures are placed specifically on women.
While the novel offers an interesting look at relationships, the narrative’s slowness tends to impact its overall flow. The mystery as to why Ruby’s plan to run away with Harry went wrong carries the majority of the story. Then the action picks up toward the latter half of the narrative when suspicious events begin to happen to Ruby. She begins to question her own sanity and ability to trust and connect with others, resulting in nail-biting suspense. Though while reading, it becomes clear that Torjussen’s work is not solely dealing in terms of twists and mystery, but rather also in exploring the realities and uncertainties of an abrupt new beginning for a woman that is unfamiliar with the person she has become after years of marriage.
Overall, this is a captivating story that will keep patient readers hooked. Rollercoasters of emotion are in store, ranging from dread and disgust to hopefulness. Readers will be left questioning their appeal for certain outcomes and their interest in specific characters. The novel is a great introduction to the works of Torjussen and an excellent new mystery for those that are already fans of her work.
The Closer You Get is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of April 21st 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
They promised to tell their spouses they were leaving and then meet to begin their new life together. But he never shows up.
A new twisting novel of psychological suspense from the acclaimed author of Gone Without a Trace.
Coworkers Ruby and Harry are in love–but they’re married to other people. They decide to tell their spouses that their marriages are over and to start their new lives together. Ruby, who has wanted to leave her controlling husband for a while, tells him she’s leaving him and waits at the hotel where she and Harry are to meet. But Harry never shows up.
Suddenly, Ruby’s life has fallen apart, and she’s lost everything. Harry won’t answer her calls, and she’s fired from her job. She finds a cheap apartment in a run-down part of town, all the while wondering what happened to Harry.
Just as Ruby thinks she’s hit rock bottom, strange and menacing things start to happen–someone is sneaking into her apartment, and someone is following her home late at night–and she is going to have to fight for her survival.
