****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I was worried that the first book I read set in the pandemic would be tiring and hackneyed. I needn't have worried after reading Ava Pierce's masterful handling of a topic that could have been so much gloomier.Rather than describing the plot, as it is succinctly detailed in the description, I’d like to describe how the author handled this very touchy subject.Instead of the book being "about" the pandemic, she has used the worldwide health crisis (as it was handled in England) as a backdrop to a suspenseful murder mystery. What's worse than trying to hide an affair? Trying to maintain the affair in a lockdown! And what's more suspicious than creeping into a dead man's house? Creeping in during a lockdown!We are first introduced to Ali, who while pretty much a recluse to begin with, is now an alcoholic recluse, with an inquisitive mind, and even more of a nosey neighbor now that she's forced to stay in. At first, I really disliked this character, and felt her "voice" was all wrong. But as the narrative deepens, you see that she's just a lost soul, really in need of a purpose in life. Caitlin thinks she has lockdown all figured out, creating a faux exercise routine as her excuse to see her lover. And once he's dead, she's got to figure out how to handle her pretend exercise routine, without drawing the suspicion of her family. She needn't have worried, as they get caught up in their own dramas.Pierce has managed to sprinkle details of the pandemic throughout the book, without it swallowing the story. If you're like me, almost any book or movie with large crowds, people sharing food, or touching each other, gives you pause at the moment. But Stay Home doesn't feel as foreign - or as dystopian - as it would have a year ago. The author reminds us of so many situations that have changed since March, but the scenarios flow smoothly and are so well integrated into the plot, they are seamless.Beyond that, it's just a darn good story! After Ali's long narrative, the book starts to take off, and things just get worse and worse for poor Caitlin, as she tries to salvage first her marriage, and then her family. You'll think you know what happens next, but you won't be ready for the twists!I can't wait to see what this author does next!Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advance reader's copy for review.
