The Other Half Lives: Amazon.co.uk: Sophie Hannah: Books

Review

'This utterly gripping thriller should establish her as one of the great unmissables of this genre - intelligent, classy and with a wonderfully Gothic imagination'

(The Times on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'A masterclass in plotting that adds twist after twist in a hectic finale'

(Sunday Times on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'Beautifully written and precision-engineered to unsettle'

(Guardian on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'The interest of any crime or thriller fan will be piqued by Hannah's early chapters, but even the most Machiavellian-minded will be confounded by the serpentine twists of her audacious plotting.'

(Independent on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'Hannah brings us spectacularly sinister characters and throws them into some wincingly creepy dilemmas'

(Independent on Sunday, Books of the Year )

'This book is long but never tedious, and, as with the finest examples of the genre, Hannah refuses to allow the reader any hope of predicting how it will all end until she decides to put the final piece of the jigsaw in place'

(Daily Express on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'It's a difficult tightrope to walk but Hannah does it triumphantly, maintaining the tension until the very end'

(Val McDermid, The Times )

'Beautifully written and absorbingly chilling, this is a tale that steadily builds in tension, throwing up twists and turns that keep you guessing right up until the very end'

(SHE on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'An intricate and sinister suspense novel'

(Woman & Home on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'Sophie Hannah is the new British queen of the psychological thriller'

(Heat )

'Sophie Hannah has become the master, or mistress, of suspense. This one's even better than her others. Each moment is so purely enjoyable. Her genius is that she creates these very real characters - absolutely incredible. She's at the very peak of crime fiction at the moment.'

(Boyd Hilton, Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 5 Live )

'Sophie Hannah has done this before and is doing it again brilliantly. You have to keep turning the pages. As twisted as fairy lights in the loft after Christmas. Very clever, very cunning.'

(Joel Morris, Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 5 Live )

'A truly gripping thriller'

(Psychologies on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'A complex, unnerving study of relationships . . . Her exemplary skills put Hannah right up there with Ruth Rendell.'

(Kirkus Reviews on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'This is a monster book in every sense. It is both a chunky psychological thriller and a testamony to the legacy of depravity . . . The trademark neuroses that afflict many of Sophie Hannah's characters lead to multiple twists in the plot, while her brilliantly acerbic dialogue lightens this clever but complicated tale'

(Charlotte Norman, Waterstone's Books Quarterly on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'The pages keep turning . . . The firm grip of suspense will hold you fast until the thrilling ending.'

(Sunday Telegraph, Australia )

'A terrific page-turner, one of those really creepy suspense novels with so many twists that it is impossible to guess the ending.' (Bookseller on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'A real chiller; the clever plot will keep you hooked and guessing to the end'

(Choice on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'Genuinely unsettling . . . Fabulous stuff '

(shotsmag.co.uk on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

'Hannah, like Rendell and Fremlin before her, takes ordinary domestic setting and turns them into something extraordinary . . . THE OTHER HALF LIVES proves that she is an established force to be reckoned with . . . a marvellous piece of literary conjuring'

(Crime Squad magazine )

'Sophie Hannah brings many gifts to crime fiction. She is a poet whose use of language is precise, and her images are evocative. As a novelist, her overriding interests lie in people on the edge and in the relationships that have driven them there.'

(Times Literary Supplement )

'Sophie Hannah is very, very good at setting things up and moving on - a chunky book you'll get through in no time'

(Evening Standard on THE OTHER HALF LIVES )

Product Description

Why would anyone confess to the murder of someone who isn't dead?

Ruth Bussey knows what it means to be in the wrong and to be wronged. She once did something she regrets, and her punishment nearly destroyed her. Now Ruth is rebuilding her life, and has found a love she doesn't believe she deserves: Aidan Seed. Aidan is also troubled by a past he hates to talk about, until one day he decides he must confide in Ruth. He tells her that years ago he killed someone: a woman called Mary Trelease.

Ruth is confused. She's certain she's heard the name before, and when she realises why it sounds familiar, her fear and confusion deepen - because the Mary Trelease that Ruth knows is very much alive . . . (20081114)

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Customer Reviews

2.7 out of 5 stars

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

Deeply Frustrating 1 Oct 2009

By H. Barratt

Format:Paperback

I picked this book up, excited to read a book by an author I'd not read before. Normally I love thrillers and crime fiction. However, I've found 'The Other Half Lives' deeply frustrating. The plot hangs around a man, Aidan Seed, confessing to the murder 'years ago' of a woman who is very much alive. His girlfriend, Ruth Bussey, is one of the main characters and frankly irritating. The author tries to create a sense that Something Terrible has happened to several of the characters in the past. However, by halfway through you're no nearer knowing what this is (despite numerous heavy-handed and portentous hints) and the premise of a murder that apparently never happened wears thin. In summary, an over-laden plot involving characters I just can't bring myself to care about. I've given it a good shot, but might have to admit defeat...

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20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

Disappointing 15 July 2009

By Susie

Format:Hardcover

I loved Sophie Hannah's previous three psychological thrillers, however 'The Other Half Lives' was a huge disappointment. Having looked forward to reading it I was greatly relieved to finally finish it. The plot was so convoluted and twisted that this seemed to be the entire point of the book, rather than the story itself. The book was as tedious as the relationship between the priniciple characters Simon and Charlie is becoming. There was barely another sympathetic character in the book. There were pages and pages and more pages of explanation of the dreary plot and the 'reveal' itself went on for chapters. The final scene with one of the principle characters gasping out her version of events made me cringe on behalf of the author, it was embarrassingly bad. Despite a completely ludicrous premise I feel this could have been a good book if it had been edited by about a hundred pages ? Where was the editor ? I hope Sophie Hannah goes on to write more thrillers, but that they are much more akin to her previous three than this one and that this isn't the start of a Patricia Cornwell type descent into pap.
I'm at a loss to understand the favourable reviews given to the book by some of the national press. I can only think that it's a case of Emperor's New Clothes, nobody wanted to admit that actually the plot was insanely beyond them and beyond almost anybody's boredom threshold.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

Terrible... 27 Sep 2009

By LittleReader TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE

What can I say? After enjoying SH's other novels, I couldn't wait to get started on 'the other half lives' but by page 110 I was floundering and by 335, possibly suicidal...
As if the plot wasn't yawningly slow enough, the characters were utterly boring, one dimensional and irritating and there was so much superflous padding out, it was virtually impossible to actually find the story and was a chore to read.
Please please please get the next one right or I won't be bothering after that...