#Book #Review White Bodies by Jane Robins

Publication date 28 December 2017 Hardback

Harlequin UK, HQ, HarperCollins

Book Description:

Felix and Tilda seem like the perfect couple: young and in love, a financier and a beautiful up-and-coming starlet. But behind their flawless façade, not everything is as it seems.
Callie, Tilda’s unassuming twin, has watched her sister visibly shrink under Felix’s domineering love. She has looked on silently as Tilda stopped working, nearly stopped eating, and turned into a neat freak, with mugs wrapped in Saran Wrap and suspicious syringes hidden in the bathroom trash. She knows about Felix’s uncontrollable rages, and has seen the bruises on the white skin of her sister’s arms.
Worried about the psychological hold that Felix seems to have over Tilda, Callie joins an internet support group for victims of abuse and their friends. However, things spiral out of control and she starts to doubt her own judgment when one of her new acquaintances is killed by an abusive man. And then suddenly Felix dies—or was he murdered?

My review:

This book is definitely more psychological than thriller. Every one of the characters has issues (except Wilf, Callie's boyfriend who is lovely), which makes for a perfect storm of personality disorders which could only ever end one way. The author clearly has an excellent understanding of psychological and behavioural problems but I found this overtook everything else in the story.  Callie is completely obsessed with her twin sister Tilda who is in turn only obsessed with herself.  As much as Tilda's partner Felix is a neat freak with his controlling behaviour this only supports Tilda in her life plan and she allows him to control her in order to back up Callie's claims. Tilda surrounds herself with damaged people who she can manipulate to her own end. 
The novel also explores how the internet can be a source of support for people looking for help but equally can be a dangerous place for those who are vulnerable.
I was pleased that Wilf helped Callie create some balance in her life amongst all the extreme behaviours, and felt that maybe everyone reached where they were meant to by the end of the story even though some of the journeys the characters took made for some uncomfortable reading at times.

About the author:

Jane Robins began her career as a journalist with The Economist, The Independent, and the BBC. She has made a specialty of writing historical true crime and has a particular interest in the history of forensics. She has published three books of nonfiction in the UK, Rebel Queen (Simon & Schuster, 2006), The Magnificent Spilsbury (John Murray, 2010), and The Curious Habits of Doctor Adams (John Murray, 2013). More recently, she has been a Fellow at the Royal Literary Fund.