The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan

I was actually quite disappointed in this book, having discovered the author through her second novel (The Girl Next Door) I was expecting great things from this book.  Unfortunately, it just didn't deliver.

Ultimately the story is about two families - one seemingly normal with mum, dad and 2 daughters and one with a deranged mother and her daughter who appear to be stalking the former.  Initially it is all a bit disorientating as you are trying to figure out if the reminiscences from "Then" are of this girl watching Corinne and Ashley's family and then, to be honest I gave up really caring.  The problem for me was that I couldn't warm to either Corinne or Ashley so when it becomes apparent that yes, they are the daughters so longingly watched through the windows I couldn't really find myself summoning up much sympathy for them.

The identity of the mysterious girl is well hidden through the book and you are given a couple of red herrings along the way.  Unfortunately, the tension of what was happening with Ashley's husband Jack and here fears he was having an affair is dissipated somewhat by the fact it is clear to the reader that this is not what is happening (honestly, it is almost spelt out what his reasons for always being at work are early in the proceedings).  Then you have their daughter Lucy who has an "unsuitable friend", again you know from the first incident who this friend is going to turn out to be so it takes some of the sting out of it all.

Corinne and her boyfriend just plain irritated me.  Which somehow makes me feel bad because of their struggles to procreate but Corinne just comes across as vacile and needy so I couldn't get too worked up about what she was going through.

There was a lot that didn't make sense in the plotting but the final showdown with "the girl" at the mother's house and then in the Underground just stretched believability too far and made me tut and roll my eyes.  the book does end on a nicely twisted note though, that I did appreciate.