The death of us A novel

A DIVORCED COUPLE reunites for the sentencing of the serial killer who shattered their lives in this moving literary thriller from bestseller Dean (Day One). Thirty years ago, the South London Invader broke into the home of playwright Isabel Nolan and her husband, lawyer George Hennessy. The couple made it out shaken but alive; their relationship, however, never recovered. Decades later, the Invader--retired policeman Nigel Wood--has been caught, tried, and convicted, and Isabel and George, now in their 50s, are preparing to deliver victim statements before his sentencing. The story mostly unspools through Isabel's testimony, in which she recounts her and George's tumultuous marriage and addresses her assailant with all the emotion she no longer dares to share with her ex-husband. Her decision to publicly out herself as a victim of the Invader helped bring the killer to justice--and helped her find her voice as a writer--despite protestations from the fiercely private George. That rich dynamic, plus a poignant subplot about the orphaned daughter of one of the Invader's victims, add texture and novelty to the narrative. As in her two previous works--Girl A, which focused on an adult survivor of parental abuse, and Day One, which depicted the aftermath of a school shooting--Dean transforms tragedy into art with surgical prose and a steely gaze. It's a triumph. Agent: Jenny Bent, Bent Agency. (Apr.)

A London couple struggles with the aftermath of a violent crime and an upcoming trial. In a sea of thrillers that feel dishearteningly similar or too reliant on shocking twists, this book stands out, not only for its propulsive energy but also for its riveting, unorthodox examination of the devastating aftermath of violence. Isabel and Edward, a young married couple in London, learn the truth of this firsthand. In 2001, a man who will become known as the South London Invader breaks into their home. He forces Edward to tie up Isabel and drags him to another room, then returns to the bedroom to assault Isabel. The couple survives the attack--later, as the Intruder's crimes escalate, other victims will not be so lucky--but their marriage eventually crumbles, annihilated by trauma, fear, and Edward's inability to discuss what happened (particularly to him). Twenty-five years later, a retired police officer named Nigel Wood is on trial for the rapes and murders, and Isabel and Edward, now divorced and in their 50s, find themselves repeatedly thrown together as they wait with other victims to give their statements in court. But though it touches on the courtroom drama, this is not a legal thriller: Dean focuses on the years before and after the attack, revealing how violence exposed cracks in the marriage and destroyed the lives of all involved. She doesn't tell the harrowing story in chronological order, but the narrative is easy to follow, and she builds a startling level of tension as the moment nears for Isabel and Edward's testimony. She invests readers not only in the outcome of the case but also in the fates of two people split apart by terrifying events outside their control. An intriguing thriller that explores the toll violence takes on its victims. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.