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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Aug 2017, 320 pages
Paperback:
Aug 2018, 320 pages
Book Reviewed by:
Sarah Tomp
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A searing psychological thriller.
One night three years ago, the Tanner sisters disappeared: fifteen-year-old Cass and seventeen-year-old Emma. Three years later, Cass returns, without her sister Emma. Her story is one of kidnapping and betrayal, of a mysterious island where the two were held. But to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Abby Winter, something doesn't add up. Looking deep within this dysfunctional family Dr. Winter uncovers a life where boundaries were violated and a narcissistic parent held sway. And where one sister's return might just be the beginning of the crime.
ONE
Cassandra Tanner—Day One of My Return
We believe what we want to believe. We believe what we need to believe. Maybe there's no difference between wanting and needing. I don't know. What I do know is that the truth can evade us, hiding behind our blind spots, our preconceptions, our hungry hearts that long for quiet. Still, it is always there if we open our eyes and try to see it. If we really try to see.
When my sister and I disappeared three years ago, there was nothing but blindness.
They found Emma's car at the beach. They found her purse inside, on the driver's seat. They found the keys in the purse. They found her shoes in the surf. Some people believed she had gone there to find a party or meet a friend who never showed. They believed that she'd gone for a swim. They believed that she'd drowned. Maybe by accident. Maybe a suicide.
Everyone believed Emma was dead.
As for me, well—it was not as simple as that.
I was fifteen when I disappeared....
Perhaps not surprisingly, I found Cass's narration the more compelling point of view. Her first-person account reveals the secrets in layers, bit by bit. Walker's side of the story adds a valuable explanation, especially for those readers interested in reaching a better understanding of mental illness and its impact on families, but the choice to tell her sections in third-person point of view feels like a misstep. With each shift in narration, I had to remind myself that Cass was no longer talking. This took me out of the story more than I would have liked. Emma In the Night will appeal to readers looking for a voyeuristic peek into the lives of a wealthy, but extremely troubled family...continued
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(Reviewed by Sarah Tomp).
A forensic psychologist for the FBI, Dr. Abby Walker, is one of the two narrators of Emma in the Night. Her understanding of the thought process of the missing girls' narcissistic mother allows her to fill in the gaps in Cass's story.
The American Board of Forensic Psychology identifies forensic psychology to be "the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system." Forensic psychology is commonly used to help solve and prevent crimes. In the past it may have been called a detective's "hunch."
Forensic psychology has been used to create psychological profiles of serial murderers and kidnappers, arsonists and other criminals. Some famous cases where forensic ...
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