Review: A hypnotically enthralling, harrowing debut thriller

The novel You were made for this lulls the reader into a somewhat false sense of secure serenity.

Doting wife Merry, devoted husband Sam and their little baby Connor are secreted in an ancient cottage in a Swedish wood. Sam inherited the cottage from an aunt, and the couple renovate and restore it to become a cosy almost self-sufficient idyllic hideaway complete with vegetable gardens, homemade bread and jars of organic baby food in the refrigerator.

Sam is attempting to establish a career in filmmaking after leaving his life as an academic in New York. Set designer Merry is now role-playing at being the perfect homebody wife and mother, devoting her days to nurturing her little boy. At first glance, the novel flows in almost such a lyrical way like a modern day fairy tale.

But, sinister threads emerge as the book progresses.

Merry has an old childhood friend called Frank. The women were like sisters growing up, each envying the other’s family structure. Frank is an attractive and successful businesswoman but when she comes to stay, the threads begin to unravel. Why? Because each of the protagonists has something to hide. Sam is a philanderer with a troubled past and was fired from his last job, although Merry is not meant to know this. Merry also has her own dark past and secrets, as does Frank.

Initially, Frank is entranced by the seemingly rapturous love the little family unit display. They are like a cookie cutter Ikea family. But as a keen observer, she starts to notice some sinister and unnerving behaviours in Merry. Merry is barely holding herself together, attempting to hide her actions which are so abhorrent I actually squirmed whilst reading the passages.

Beautifully but starkly written by Michelle Sacks, You were made for this is all at once idyllic, sinister and one of the darkest most haunting novels I have yet to read.

Told from the point of view of the three main characters motives and harrowing secrets are both buried and unearthed. I would almost describe it as American ‘Noir’ as it has a dark and brooding ‘Scandi Noir’ tone which is at once both riveting and devastating.

You were made for this is a hypnotically enthralling book. At times I held my breath as I could almost not believe what I was reading. It deals with human behaviours which are repellent but still I had to read on.

Can people really do these things? Yes, they can and yes, they do is the short answer. Michelle Sacks convincingly portrays a savage and harrowing journey into the darkness of the broken human psyche. While initially framed as a modern day fairy tale, the plot, characters and carefully eked out tension builds to such a crescendo that it was a compelling page-turner right until the last page.

Not for the faint hearted, but totally unforgettable, You were made for this by Michelle Sacks is published by HQ Fiction.