When Marissa views her prospective new home in the opening chapters, there is an immediate sense of doom as a lone magpie gets in through an open door leaving the reader in a heightened state of suspense. Marissa is intent on someday being a kind and loving mother and, with Jake by her side, Marissa finally feels that sense of happiness that has eluded her for many years. Her own mother abandoned the family home when Marissa was very young, leaving her always wondering about the what-ifs in life.

Marissa has had a challenging life, with Jake now the bright light on her horizon. Magpie by Elizabeth Day was published September 2nd with 4th Estate and is described as ‘the most gripping psychological thriller of the year’ and is a novel that really is quite difficult to review due to the complexity and twists in the plot. How far will she go to find the answer – and how much is she willing to lose? That the woman sleeping in their house will stop at nothing to get what she wants. And she trusts him – doesn’t she?īut Marisa knows something is wrong. Is it the way she looks at Marisa’s boyfriend? Sits too close on the sofa? Constantly asks about the baby they are trying for? Or is it all just in Marisa’s head?Īfter all, that’s what her Jake keeps telling her. In Jake, Marisa has found everything she’s ever wanted. She puts her toothbrush right there in the master bathroom, on the shelf next to theirs. She makes herself at home without any self-consciousness. Sometimes Marisa gets the fanciful notion that Kate has visited the house before.

Magpie by elizabeth day review