“Emma in the Night” - Book Review -

“Emma in the Night”

Written by Wendy Walker

Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

Emma in the Night is a well-known psychological thriller that was incredibly popular at its time of publication, with many bloggers and readers claiming it to be a five-star read. Today, I spent my time reading the entire novel in one sitting, and I have never been more disappointed in one novel. My expectations were far too high for this story, and they were absolutely dashed to bits on the rocks.

The story is told in two different ways. Our two main narrators are told in first-person by Cass and third person for Dr. Abby Winters. Cass and her sister, Emma, went missing three years ago, after a dramatic fight with each other and their mother. Dr. Winters worked on the case, attempting to find the girls safely. When she was unable to, her mental health declined. When Cass appears on her parents’ front porch, everyone is shocked. Where is Emma?

Cass’s narrative tells the story of what led up to the disappearance and what happened while the girls were gone. Cass portrays everyone around her as unstable, her mother being the most negative and toxic, with possible narcissism disorder. Abby has had experience in her own lifetime with her own narcissistic mother, so she begins to notice cracks in the stories that Cass may be telling. The plot continues as Cass selectively reveals important details after chapters of her complaining about people and rehashing details that we already spent far too much time on. This manipulative character is clearly hiding something. However, my fault lies with author, Wendy Walker, for creating such a frustrating and slow-moving story, where most of the time relies on a character’s thoughts and lies, reminiscent of The Woman in the Window and Gone Girl.

By the time I reached any major twists, I had completely lost interest in the novel. I understand that Walker’s intention might have been to create a seriously unstable individual, but it comes across as mental health misrepresentation and victim blaming. We begin to hate Cass so much, that we disbelieve everything she says. I am sure there is a lesson to learn or a satirical point about women, but slogging through this novel felt Dante’s journey through the circles of Hell. The final important plot twists were unimpressive and frankly, incredibly predictable.

In conclusion, I do not recommend this novel. I truly did not enjoy it. I had every high expectation for it, and the book failed. I rate this novel at 2 out of 5 stars. What is the point of making such an uninteresting and coldhearted fiction? I feel burned out from kidnapping stories in which the victim feels more like a villain. This needs to stop.