The Fall | Louise Jensen
Reading The Fall is like falling into a patch of brambles.
Small barbs hook in the reader entirely so they are ensnared by an engrossing and gripping plot.
The reader needs nerves of steel because Louise Jensen knows exactly how to heighten tension until the heart is thumping.
Her variety of sentence structure, her fast pace, hints and her dramatic endings to chapters mean that The Fall is an absolute must read that simply cannot be set aside.
Sinister and dramatic
There’s a sinister and threatening tone throughout the story. This makes The Fall exciting and dramatic, even in the seemingly innocent or quieter moments.
Louise Jensen is such an intelligent writer, manipulating the reader and underpinning the narrative with humanity and emotion so that there is real connection between reader and characters that makes the story even more ensnaring.
As the narrative races along it’s a bit like being on a waltzer at a fairground. With Caily unconscious in hospital, Louise Jensen makes the reader suspect every character of being responsible for putting her there.
Suspicions alter and switch as if the reader is being spun in that fairground carriage. I thought this aspect of the story was brilliant, even if it made me feel anxious and terrified throughout.
A situation any of us could end up in
The characterisation is quite wonderful. Matt, Kate and Beth are ordinary people simply trying to get on with their lives who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
What is so affecting here is the fact that any one of us could find ourselves in similar situations. This makes The Fall totally compelling and psychologically plausible. It also adds depth because the reader wonders just how they might respond in similar circumstances.
There are some dark allusions and themes in The Fall giving it a grown up, mature atmosphere and occasionally making it unsettling. It illustrates only too perceptively the way lives can change, how we can be unkind to one another and how we all, regardless of age, have a terrible capacity for self-destruction even when we are doing our best.
Put your life on hold…
That’s what is so successful about The Fall. There’s a tangible sense that any one of us could fall into similar traps like dominoes toppling, making the story highly relatable.
The Fall is heart-thumpingly good; terrifying, touching and terrific. Don’t miss it – but be prepared to put your life on hold until you’ve devoured every page. This is a story that grasps you and simply doesn’t let go.
The Fall by Louise Jensen is published by HQ, £8.99 PB
More great book reviews and big name short stories in My Weekly magazine, available from newsagents and supermarkets or subscribe. Look out for our latest bumper issue, out tomorrow, to read Louise Jensen’s warm-hearted serial about a village hairdresser, Tell It To Stella.
