The Second Woman

Reviews / Votes

A brutal and brilliant portrayal of psychological violence and female strength. In a genre that thrives on the mistreatment of women, Mey shows us the other side of the coin -- Anna Bailey, author of 'Tall Bones' An astonishingly immersive and chilling account of how abusive relationships form, and then escalate. Beautifully wrought, this is an important, psychologically astute novel which is deeply disturbing and profoundly real. It has the power of a psychic haunting, lingering long in the mind after you finish reading it -- Lisa Harding, author of 'Bright Burning Things' Louise Mey's The Second Woman smashes the Gothic trope of the first wife who haunts the second, literally returning her from the dead-along with memories of all that she has endured. An in-depth examination of women and their bodies, of violence and manipulation, Mey's work transcends an ordinary psychological thriller, ultimately providing a portrayal of domestic violence that is at once both difficult to look at and away from -- Christine Mangan, author of 'Tangerine' Brutal and brilliant, The Second Woman is a razor-sharp dissection of the dynamics of coercive control. Louise Mey's elegant prose paints a picture that is frightening and uncompromising, yet tinged with hope for a new and better world -- Jessica Moor, author of 'Keeper' An intense, disturbing read in which Mey slowly reveals the insidious nature of emotionally abusive relationships. . . Dark, suspenseful and beautifully written, The Second Woman is a masterful depiction of coercive control and its far-reaching impact. An important book to be out in the world -- Debbie Howells, Sunday Times bestselling author of 'The Bones of You' [The Second Woman] really got under my skin. An emotionally charged ending too which I loved - nail-biting! Louise Mey is a very talented author' -- Emma Curtis, author of 'Invite Me In' ...the author skilfully examines the drama, heartache - and suspense - of how to deal with someone who changes from attracting sympathy after losing his wife, to being abusive, violent and dangerous * Independent * An author deeply attached to women's relationship with their bodies, she dissects the mechanisms of psychological violence in a terribly sharp way * Marie Claire * A psychological thriller, The Second Woman is a pageturner which makes important points about domestic abuse: how potential abusers carefully seek out their victim, how subtle they can initially be in their treatment of their prey, how they gradually isolate their victims from society and how the abused person learns to control their every thought for fear of its impact on the relationship * Irish Independent * Deals effectively with the minefield of how to present a troubling issue as entertainment * Liberation * The novel handles the suspense brilliantly, in an atmosphere of suffocating, escalating anxiety, as the vehicle for the exploration of a sordid, too widespread reality. A terrific discovery * Babelio * A crime novel by a woman under the grip, trapped by a man who mistreats and beats her, and whom she does not manage to leave. Read in the midst of the confinement, when domestic and interfamilial violence exploded, it impressed us by its accuracy and its intensity * Liberation * A tough novel written by a vigilant and talented storyteller that sends shivers down your spine * Le Parisien * What Louise Mey realised with The Second Woman is a stroke of genius, one of the most powerful novels of the new releases this January... Louise Mey cables our readers' minds to the ribcage of her heroine, unwinds every detail of this love and crime mechanics in such a tender and irremediable way that we ourselves come to deny the danger * Causette * The recurring reminder of the number of women murdered by their husband (more than hundred in 2019) inspired the thriller author, playwright and feminist advocate Louise Mey for this novel whose terrifying realism makes one feel suffocated. She dissects mercilessly the strategy of hold of the domestic tormentor, his destabilising duplicity and his perverse possessiveness * L'Obs * Manipulations, fears and domestic violence get mixed successfully in this psychological thriller which is as terrific as it is surprising * Femme actuelle * More than a 'simple' psychological thriller, this novel is a demanding immersion in the mechanisms of hold and domestic violence, driven by the urgency of a writing that takes one's breath away * La vie * A shocking reading that will remain in our memory for a long time * Page * At once a chilling psychological thriller and a visceral exploration of internalized misogyny and the mechanics of abuse * CrimeReads *