You Were Made for This
Description
A bold, sharp, gripping debut about a couple whose perfect life in the Swedish countryside is not what it seems...
A gripping page-turner for fans of The Couple Next Door, Michelle Sacks's You Were Made For This provocatively explores the darker side of marriage, motherhood and friendship.
Doting wife, devoted husband, cherished child. Merry, Sam and Conor are the perfect family in the perfect place. Merry adores baking, gardening, and caring for her infant son, while Sam pursues a new career in film. In their idyllic house in the Swedish woods, they can hardly believe how lucky they are. What perfect new lives they've built for themselves, away from New York and the events that overshadowed their happiness there.
And then Merry's closest friend Frank comes to stay. All their lives, the two women have been more like sisters than best friends. And that's why Frank sees things that others might miss. Treacherous things that unfold behind closed doors.
But soon it's clear that everyone inside the house has something to hide. And as the truth begins to show through the cracks, Merry, Frank, and Sam grow all the more desperate to keep their picture-perfect lives intact.
'A chilling, gut-wrenching thriller.' Helen Fields
A bold, sharp, gripping debut about a couple whose perfect life in the Swedish countryside is not what it seems...
A gripping page-turner for fans of <em>The Couple Next Door</em>, Michelle Sacks's <em>You Were Made For This</em> provocatively explores the darker side of marriage, motherhood and friendship.
Doting wife, devoted husband, cherished child. Merry, Sam and Conor are the perfect family in the perfect place. Merry adores baking, gardening, and caring for her infant son, while Sam pursues a new career in film. In their idyllic house in the Swedish woods, they can hardly believe how lucky they are. What perfect new lives they've built for themselves, away from New York and the events that overshadowed their happiness there.
And then Merry's closest friend Frank comes to stay. All their lives, the two women have been more like sisters than best friends. And that's why Frank sees things that others might miss. Treacherous things that unfold behind closed doors.
But soon it's clear that everyone inside the house has something to hide. And as the truth begins to show through the cracks, Merry, Frank, and Sam grow all the more desperate to keep their picture-perfect lives intact.
Reviews / Votes
'Extremely scary scandi-noir, definitely not for the squeamish... the writing is first-class.' Daily Mail'This dark, unflinching look at motherhood, friends and marriage is unsettling but addictive' Fabulous Magazine
'A domestic thriller in which dreams unravel into nightmares.'
iNews
'A chilling, gut-wrenching psychological thriller with an extraordinary intense narrative and utterly believable characters.' Helen Fields
'Dark, unsettling, and utterly absorbing ... I loved it from first page to last.' Amanda Jennings
'Bloody Nora! If dark toxic relationships are your thing, this is one for you. Unsettling intensity with each page turned, arresting and intriguing. I read it holding my breath.' Nina Pottell
'You Were Made For This has everything a psychological thriller needs...toxic and stifling, the story drew me in and kept me up turning the pages long after I should have gone to bed.' Lisa Hall
'Absolutely addictive. A dark exploration of motherhood and friendship - visceral, unputdownable, and original. You'll never look at Sweden the same way again!' Phoebe Morgan
'A haunting first novel... an unblinking look at beautiful people with ugly secrets, it has the voyeuristic fascination of a Bergman film.' Publishers Weekly
'an insightful and skilfully constructed novel... will keep readers rapt to the final page.' Booklist
'Sacks' first novel expertly portrays the dark side of domesticity and motherhood. Fans of dark and twisted psychological thrillers will be swept up in the appearance of domestic bliss and maternal perfection, only to be left off-kilter and breathless with each costume change.' Library Journal
'Extremely scary scandi-noir, definitely not for the squeamish... the writing is first-class.' Daily Mail
'This dark, unflinching look at motherhood, friends and marriage is unsettling but addictive' Fabulous Magazine
'A domestic thriller in which dreams unravel into nightmares.'
iNews
'A chilling, gut-wrenching psychological thriller with an extraordinary intense narrative and utterly believable characters.' Helen Fields
'Dark, unsettling, and utterly absorbing ... I loved it from first page to last.' Amanda Jennings
'Bloody Nora! If dark toxic relationships are your thing, this is one for you. Unsettling intensity with each page turned, arresting and intriguing. I read it holding my breath.' Nina Pottell
'You Were Made For This has everything a psychological thriller needs...toxic and stifling, the story drew me in and kept me up turning the pages long after I should have gone to bed.' Lisa Hall
'Absolutely addictive. A dark exploration of motherhood and friendship - visceral, unputdownable, and original. You'll never look at Sweden the same way again!' Phoebe Morgan
'A haunting first novel... an unblinking look at beautiful people with ugly secrets, it has the voyeuristic fascination of a Bergman film.' Publishers Weekly
'an insightful and skilfully constructed novel... will keep readers rapt to the final page.' Booklist
'Sacks' first novel expertly portrays the dark side of domesticity and motherhood. Fans of dark and twisted psychological thrillers will be swept up in the appearance of domestic bliss and maternal perfection, only to be left off-kilter and breathless with each costume change.' Library Journal
More details
Person
Michelle Sacks was born and raised in Cape Town. She is currently based in Switzerland but spends much time in the UK and the rest of Europe. She has been shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize in 2014, and had two short stories shortlisted for the 2007 and 2011 South African PEN Literary Award.