The Villa, by Ruth Kelly - Clare
This book just cried, "read me!"
Yes, maybe I did judge by the cover (deceptively calm amid the luxury) and no, I have never watched Love Island, but my word - what a roller coaster of a read it has been! I have loved every page. I've lived the fear, the highs, the lows, the pure addiction of the reality show premise. I have read late into the night, squeezed in a chapter here, a twist or turn there, all alongside not wanting it to end.
A new Balearic island villa, a shrine to decadent luxury in the unrelenting Mediterranean sun, a group of seemingly random contestants, a crew with an agenda, a seemingly limitless prize pot and a reality livestream show to die for. The stuff that dreams - or nightmares - are made of.
The mixed narratives work brilliantly - adding to the sense of mystery and giving the reader a real insight. The fluctuating timescale between present and past further adds to the effect. We see the expected egos of the contestants alongside the ruthless producer who has a clear agenda to get higher ratings than any show ever before. The reality effect is created by a no-holds-barred livestream with an interactive audience of obsessed viewers.
Laura, a journalist coerced into the show by her editor and lover, soon realises that she is well out of her depth. Laura is the perfect protagonist. Like all of the contestants she isn't perfect. It is their flaws that make them real, and make us care.
Written with a pathos beyond the cliché of its premise, this is a story of vulnerable people who are desperate to win, whatever the cost.
Pacy, fast-moving, compelling suspense, and a plot peppered with twists and turns as the action moves seamlessly from the Villa to the later police interviews and to the, perhaps, unexpected denouement.
I loved this and can't recommend it in enough. I'm off to find Ruth Kelly's back catalogue!
Clare
