This next book is one that was silently disturbing. The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon is about a serial killer named Aidan Thomas. However, the story is not told from his perspective or from the perspective of the police. It is told by Rachel, the young woman who he has held hostage in the back shed for the last five years but now moved inside after his wife passes away. Cecelia is his daughter, only thirteen, and still struggling with her mom passing away. She is reluctant to interact with and befriend the young woman who is supposedly renting out the spare room. Finally, we have Emily who is a young woman running the local restaurant that she inherited from her parents. Aidan comes in for a drink twice a week and over time she has developed a crush on the new widower. It is only when their stories start coming together do things start slowly unraveling for Aidan as he slowly starts losing control. Rachel becomes determined to escape while Emily just wants to know Aidan better. Cecelia just feels lost and wants to be noticed, specifically by her father.
I have yet to find a story that is so haunting but about a topic that is so common in literature. There are numerous stories out there about killers in all shapes and sizes but they are frequently narrated by either the killer or the police and sometimes partly by one of the victims. This one stands out for being told entirely by the women in the life of the killer. It adds some interesting layers to the text as we watch the torment and abuse the woman known as Rachel undergoes even as we see how Emily is desperate to start something with him and Cecelia looks up to him because she doesn’t know any different. This diversity of viewpoints also shows just how easily people like Aidan are able to blend in and go unnoticed as they go about their crimes. I mean seriously, Aidan kept Rachel in his back shed behind the house where he lived with his wife and daughter for five years and the whole time he was some kind of kind and noble neighbor always willing to lend a hand if needed. This book was definitely creepy in that aspect and it also added to the haunting effect somewhat. I knew what the book was going to be about going in but I can also say that this was not even close to what I was expecting. What was interesting is that by the end of the book you feel like you got to know the women pretty well, especially Rachel and Emily, but I still don’t feel like I really got to know Aidan all that well. It was a great, if haunting, read and I am giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
This book is a thriller as you probably gathered from my description. I would think this book would hold the most appeal to readers who already enjoy thrillers, especially ones with unusual viewpoints. Because of the content and perspectives I will also suggest that readers should also be careful before trying this one as it may prove difficult for some readers. The assault and abuse against Rachel is not extremely graphic and it frequently talks around the subject instead of outright describing it but you should still be careful just in case. Due to the lack of graphic details this could be read by younger readers but I would also suggest no one younger than fifteen or sixteen for the same reason I cautioned older readers. It is a good book though and worth trying so consider it anyway. If you do, consider sharing your thoughts in the comments.