Customer Reviews

Little Face

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(13)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This was an interesting book - in all facets, really - a neat structure, fascinating premise, surprising twists and turns to the plot... the only thing really lacking were the characters. Not anything terribly specific, but... I guess they seemed more like characters from a film than from a book. They were a bit two-dimensional, which is odd considering the book is labeled as "psychological thriller." Some actions were rather unbelievable. I do think it would make a good movie, though - perhaps even better than the book. There was just something film-like about reading the book. Maybe because some actors jumped to mind as being perfect to play parts (e.g., Judi Dench as Vivienne). It was a solid story and quite entertaining and if only the characters had that certain je ne sais quoi, I would have truly loved it.

If you like crime drama and psychological suspsense, don't miss this book. This is a magical onion kind of book--the surface is nothing like the center and there are hundreds of layers making it up. The complexity of the plot will take awhile to hit you, but when it does, you won't be able to put the book down. I literally finished the last 20 pages walking around my apartment because I was too exhausted to stay awake if I sat down but I HAD to see how things wrapped up. The premise: new mother Alice Fancourt leaves her two week old daughter for the first time for a quick outing, only to discover, when she gets home, that the baby in the crib is not hers. But she can't convince anyone else of that. Very British, very dark, very much full of surprises and very very much recommended by me!

The ingredients for a good psychological thriller are all there: Alice, the mother who's convinced that her newborn baby daughter Florence has been switched with another baby in her own home of all places. David, her husband, who's convinced his wife has gone mad with post-natal depression and refuses to even acknowledge Alice's doubts. Vivienne, David's mother, perfect organizer of his and Alice's lives, after the tragic murder of David's first wife, Laura, whom he had divorced some time before. Felix, David's and Laura's child, is now living with them all at The Elms, Vivienne's huge and stately home.
The alleged kidnapping/switch takes place at The Elms and the police get involved. This starts off a series of considerations for all involved, including the two police detectives assigned to this peculiar case, Simon and Charlie. Psycological twists & turns ensue, which also lead to the reopening of Laura's murder case, despite the confession of her killer, now serving a sentence. A gripping start.

Why the 2 stars then? I admit I was hooked from the very beginning of this book, which is written in two "voices": Alice's, self-describing her actions and anguish, whereas the rest of the characters and circumstances are reported as seen from the outside.

Up to a certain point, I would have given this book 4 stars. What disappointed me was that, upon approaching the end, I realised that the facts had not been fairly and truthfully presented from the beginning. True, one could still guess and make assumptions -after all, isn't that the... thrill of thrillers?- but in my opinion this book was deceiving for the way it started and ended. I could tell you in more detail what I refer to specifically, but that would give the story away. If you buy it, you'll find out.

Admittedly, I flew through the first part of the book. I couldn't wait to figure out "whodunnit." Combine that with a very slow beginning and I was really anxious to get through the novel. Unfortunately, the ending is highly unsatisfying. SPOILERS I don't necessarily have anything against novels in which the narrator is unreliable. But this one was just too much for me. Completely unsatisfying ending. Someone mentioned that they skipped to the end to find out the "surprise ending" and then read the book through. That would probably be a more entertaining way to read the book, because then you'd more clearly see all the ways the narrator is unreliable and all the things she says that don't make sense if you don't know the ending. That and the so called "relationship" between Simon and Alice was quickly wrapped up in the end in an irksome, rushed, unfulfilling and unrealistic way.

I also don't like the literary device Hannah uses here-- a chapter or so of police procedural, and then a chapter or so of what happened with the victim. The two types of chapters don't start off at the same time period as each other, and then slowly they end up working their way to being on the same day/time. Reading the chapters this way can get confusing and annoying-- you don't even figure out the actual crime until you've read about five chapters in. It's hard to keep track of what happened before what and to remember what happened two chapters before.

And finally, a minor nitpick here-- lines like "Will our friendship be taken further?" (on the last page of the book) drive me crazy-- who talks like that in real life? Especially when Alice and Simon barely had a friendship to begin with?

In summary, while the book certainly makes you anticipate a surprise ending, it doesn't actually deliver, leaving the reader unsatisfied and, honestly, feeling like the time spent reading it could've been better spent. A mystery novel with some aspects of this book (suspense, unreliable storytelling) that's way better, check out The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. It's a bit more of a "lit" book, but one of my favorites. I will probably read Hannah again, as I've heard good things about some of her other books.

I am waiting for my third Sophie Hannah book to arrive - The Point of Rescue, having read the first 2 in quick succession. I am thrilled to discover such a talented author writing in a genre that is overdue for new writers. Amazing plots, characterizations of depth, that lovely British humor and great writing. Fans of the best of Minette Walters and Ruth Rendell should not miss Sophie Hannah!

Alice Fancourt, still suffering from the physical consequences of a difficult birth, takes time away from her role as a mother to go on a brief outing. She entrusts the care of Florence, their baby, to her husband David. But instead of feeling rejuvenated by the short break, Alice becomes hysterical when she returns home and claims that while she was away someone took Florence, leaving another infant in her place. The police are called in, Alice's mother-in-law, who is on vacation, is called back, and the identity of "Little Face", the baby living in the Fancourt home, is called into question. As the book progresses the solution of an old crime is called into question.

Alternating chapters written in the first person from Alice's point of view with chapters written in the third person that detail the police investigation and the personal problems, relationships and peculiarities of the officers assigned to the case, Sophie Hannah creates a psychological thriller that may, even at the end of the novel, leave most readers wondering about the motivations of several characters, including DC Simon Waterhouse and the woman who supervises him, Sergeant Charlie Zailer.

Hannah unfolds the plot and the pasts of the characters slowly, creating mounting tension and doubts about what really happened to Florence, as well as to how much the reader can trust perspectives of the characters. Even the characters doubt themselves and each other, making it easy to misjudge motives, what has happened, and what is happening.

It is not difficult to understand why some readers feel plot developments are unfair or the ending is not satisfactory or why some reviewers have felt aspects of the plot were forced or just too clever. It is true the book requires close reading and the avoidance of assumptions. It is also true that the book is as much about complexity of character - maybe even more so - than unraveling the crimes in the story. As for the way the novel concludes, it does leave the reader with the feeling that not every question is answered or every detail explained - pretty much like life.

No one believes Alice when she insists that baby Florence has been swapped. But when Alice and Florence, or Little Face as she's been nicknamed since the incident, go missing just a week later, Detective Simon Waterhouse is on the case.

This first in the Simon Waterhouse, Charlie Zailer series, is a suspenseful read that brings to mind Ruth Rendell and Minette Walters. With such huge authors as comparison, I think that Hannah does a great job of weaving an interesting story that really makes the reader wonder who is telling the truth.

Overall, a very good read for fans of the genre. Definitely will be reading more of Hannah's work in the future.

If you like crime drama and psychological suspsense, don't miss this book. This is a magical onion kind of book--the surface is nothing like the center and there are hundreds of layers making it up. The complexity of the plot will take awhile to hit you, but when it does, you won't be able to put the book down. I literally finished the last 20 pages walking around my apartment because I was too exhausted to stay awake if I sat down but I HAD to see how things wrapped up. The premise: new mother Alice Fancourt leaves her two week old daughter for the first time for a quick outing, only to discover, when she gets home, that the baby in the crib is not hers. But she can't convince anyone else of that. Very British, very dark, very much full of surprises and very very much recommended by me!

This is a "psychological thriller" in the sense that the plot relies on characters' psychological makeup: basic needs and desires, typical defenses, etc. Unfortunately - with a possible exception of Samuel - the characters are drawn like caricatures. In that respect, Little Face is a descendent of Agatha Christie mysteries. The gothic element comes from the plot setup - a heroine imprisoned in a mansion - and her struggle to escape, mentally and physically, from her prison. It is an exciting read, but ultimately unsatisfying.

This is the second of Ms. Hannah's books that I read, although it was written before the one I read first, "The Wrong Mother," (also published as "Point of Rescue"). Skip "Little Face" and read "The Wrong Mother."

Why? Mostly because, thinking back after finishing the novel, the central character (Alice) makes no sense, and the plot is less believable than what I can accept, even trying to suspend disbelief. These are separate problems -- one concerns the plot and the other concerns Alice's character. I can't say more without spoilers.

In addition, I really do not enjoy sadism scenes, even more so when the victim could fight back and does not. There are too many of these.

Finally, there is too much time devoted to an not-very-interesting and hard-to-follow interaction between two of the police detectives.

Nevertheless, I kept reading, and will read more, thanks to Ms. Hannah's ability to grab hold of the reader and not let go. Just skip this and move on to her other works.