Somehow time has once again got away from me and this book still needs a little blurb written on it. Life as a registered nurse with 24 hour shift work makes me lose days on end if the situation is right. It's an interesting time to be an RN as I only just qualified in February right in time for the You Know What.
This is yet again another one I must have read, but oddly enough don't remember. I'm not sure why because this one is bloody good! It's written so uniquely it doesn't really fit into the PH canon. I've realised when I say that, I actually mean: no tentacles, no things from other realms and no characters that can't even and wetter than a wet thing.
Hide and Seek starts at point x where the story is happening but the events leading up to point x are told in flashback as Lissa, our lead attempts to make peace with her current situation and understand how the Dickens her life got to the stage she's in. This was really effective at introducing the issues and events that led up to point x and has a weird effect of placing us right in Lissa's mind.
The deeper understanding and effects of what happened in Lissa's life are actually almost Cooney-worthy. It's a really interesting look at PTSD (although probably known more as Gulf War Syndrome or shell shock at the time of publication), low self esteem, psychopathic personalities and deranged family dynamics. For a while, I did wonder how all of this remained in the family and no-one knew, but people do conceal things or have an unerring ability to normalize awful situations. I did think it odd how Lissa never knew why her father was the way he was, but perhaps the whole thing was the proverbial elephant in the room? Would it have provided some comfort for Lissa to have some understanding why her life is so isolated and silenced?
In this respect, I think it would work really well as an episode in this HBO Max series I keep seeing mentioned on t'internet. Done well it could have the unpleasantness impact right up there with "Fire Walk With Me". The developing of Lissa into the shot girl is so unnerving: perhaps it could be subtly done with a superimposition a la Psycho? I am getting my references to classic horrors into these reviews aren't I?!?!?
It also reminded me of "Freeze Tag" in that like Lannie, Lissa clearly isn't OK yet no-one enquires or tries to help except Josh. And also of "Beach Party" in that perhaps that there is no help that can be accessed is the true terror? Lissa goes to hospital with a broken leg for heaven's sake and although not in and of itself a concern, you can usually detect that something isn't right. I did feel frustrated for Mrs Davis not finding the courage to get up and leave, but having experienced DV and relationship toxicity myself, it's a hard thing to do to commit yourself to a course of action that will be one way and quite possibly inflame the situation.
To sum up: a great read and well able to stand up by itself. Frustrating and possibly triggering in it's subject matter but I'm glad McFann wrote it. I'll definitely chase up some more of her stuff!
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