Watching Edie By Camilla Way

[amazon_link id=”0008159017″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Watching Edie’ is Camilla Way’s debut novel.

Edie is the friend that Heather has always craved. But one night, it goes terrifyingly wrong. And what started as an innocent friendship ends in two lives being destroyed. Sixteen years later, Edie is still rebuilding her life. But Heather isn’t ready to let her forget so easily. It’s no coincidence that she shows up when Edie needs her most.

NOW
Edie or Heather?
Heather or Edie?

Someone has to pay for what happened, but who will it be?

‘Watching Edie’ is one of the most highly anticipated thrillers of 2016, so much so that the kind people at Harper Collins sent out a stress kit to help readers deal with the terror of gripping tale, including a candle, face mask and a packet of Horlicks, everything to keep the reader relaxed whilst reading the story.

The story is about old best friends Edie and Heather, who suddenly meet up years after they left secondary school. Heather is a loner at school, coming from a strict religious background she is subject of bullying and she is delighted when popular newcomer Edie befriends her and introduces her to her new group of friends, but things turn nasty when Edie falls in with a bad crowd and she leaves her new best friend behind,

I loved this story and in particular, how cleverly it was written, as the story is written in two tenses and each of the tenses is seen through the narrative of both women. The past tense is seen through the eyes of Heather, a quiet, strange girl, who becomes infatuated with Edie and their new friendship. With her strict parents, she is not used to have a friend and isn’t sure what way to deal with it and looks after Edie to the point of worshipping. Heather’s story is about their time at secondary school, when Edie first entered her life and the situations they got into during this time. Meanwhile Edie’s perspective is seen during the present tense, when she has moved on with her life, living as a single mum in London, she is struggling to cope with being a new mother and is shocked when Heather suddenly turns up on her door offering a helping hand.

The story flows at a short and snappy pace with each chapter altering between a past and present tense and gives the reader, a full insight into how the once innocent and fun friendship transformed in something a lot more darker and sinister.

The characters are great, particularly Heather, a complex and eager young girl, who longs to fit in but struggles socially with those around her. With her naive way of thinking, this often leads to bullying and her being victimised in someway which does make for sad reading as she battles with emotions and new people. Edie, is seen as the victim of the story, as we read about a woman who is running from her past, constantly looking after her shoulder, struggling with her new role as a mother, she reflects on her past, particularly when Heather returns and old feelings and memories arise.

I read this story in a day, I couldn’t put it down, with its complex characters and addictive storyline, this psychological thriller explores the darker side of friendship and betrayal, an emotional rollercoaster with a truly tremendously twist, ‘Watching Edie’ is a powerful debut novel that pulls the reader in. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

You can pre-order [amazon_link id=”0008159017″ target=”_blank” ]Watching Edie: The most unsettling psychological thriller you’ll read this year from Amazon [/amazon_link] and will be available to buy from good bookshops from 28th July 2016.