Kind of Cruel by Sophie Hannah Guest Review!

Described as having "perfected the psychological thriller" (Bookseller), Sophie Hannah deserves plenty of praise forKind Of Cruel, a chilling novel which takes fear and suspense to a whole new level. 

When Amber Hewerdine consults a hypnotherapist as a last resort, she doesn't expect that anything much will change. She doesn't expect it to help with her chronic insomnia ... or to hear herself, under hypnosis, saying words that mean nothing to her: "Kind, cruel, kind of cruel". Words she has seen somewhere before, if only she could remember where ...
She also doesn't expect to be arrested two hours later in connection with the brutal murder of Katharine Allen, a woman she's never heard of ...

About this author

Sophie Hannah is a bestselling poet and novelist, who regularly performs her work both nationwide and abroad. Her poetry is studied at GCSE, A-level and degree level across the country. She was born in Manchester in 1971 and lives in Low Utley, West Yorkshire.

Review

Strange things are happening to Amber Hewerdine.  Her sister disappeared with her children and husband on Christmas a few years ago, only to return the next day as if nothing happened, then refuse to discuss the issue.  Amber hasn’t slept in months, in fact, she hasn’t slept since her best friend was killed in an arson attack.  She decides to see a hypnotist and, weirdest of all, she utters words that even she doesn’t understand.  Kind, Cruel, Kind of Cruel.  Thus starts the adventure in putting these pieces together, leading with Amber’s arrest for murder.

In the latest page turner from Sophie Hannah, readers are sure to be spellbound by seemingly uncommon and deeply psychological thrill.  The novel starts with a small girl hiding behind a dollhouse in a classroom and then switching to a narrative by Amber Hewerdine.  We are unsure who this little girl was and who is narrating the subsequent interludes throughout the novel.  In the end, it is Amber’s hypnotist that jumps in with her two cents occasionally, which ultimately makes sense, as the story is deeply rooted in mental illness.  So, peculiar as it may seem, why not have a ‘medical professional’ narrate?  Though, as one point, these interspersed narratives seem almost juvenile, as if the reader needs guidance understanding the story.

In this long-winded, typically English story, there is just enough wit and humor to hold it together.  There are often seemingly pointless tangents the narrator trails off on, a detectives sexual issues, a play written by two little girls and a lesson learned by two little boys.  Upon first glance, these simply look like page filler, but ultimately, all these storylines contribute to the plot and make sense in the end. 

This story is a confusing maze of guilt and innocence with a new, uncommon motive.  There is nothing clichéd about Sophie Hannah’s newest novel. There's a hypnotherapist, arson, murder, sex, odd family members, severe mental illness and mysterious scribblings in a notebook.  It all adds up to a wonderful psychological joyride.