Frances Thorpe is a nondescript, competent book reviewer relatively unconcerned with her appearance or with decorating her apartment. She is at that age where she is considered "on the shelf" in terms of romance and her company is rumbling with rumors of downsizing. One icy winter night, while driving home to London from a weekend at her parents, Frances spots a light in the distance and discovers an overturned car occupied by a woman, whom she can hear but not see. She calls emergency services and comforts the woman until help arrives, then continues home. As it turns out, the woman, who did not survive, is Alys Kyte, the wife of a celebrated author, Lawrence Kyte, and mother of 2 grown children. At the family's request, Frances eventually meets with them and tells them a lie, that Alys's last words were, "Tell them that I love them."
This novel is described as a "psychological thriller, " but I didn't quite see that. If it had ended differently, it could have become a Lifetime movie, but there were no psychotic breaks or frenzied killings. Instead, we are guided through Frances' realization that her association with Alys's death has made her a "person of interest" to important people in the literary world, and she decides to take advantage of her new reality by developing a deeper relationship with Alys's family, particularly with Alys's daughter, Polly, and her widower, Lawrence. Frances is subtle, patient, and not always honest in her quest transform herself from uninteresting Frances Thorpe to a woman of mystery and compassion, sought after both personally and professionally by people who count.
Lane's first novel is a fascinating psychological study of an opportunist, a woman who takes advantage of a tragedy to transform her life. I kind of hope that there is a sequel because I keep wondering if Frances will eventually be exposed or if her transformation is so complete that she becomes real, like the velveteen rabbit!
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