The Sublet (by Greer Hendricks)
I acquired the Kindle edition of Greer Hendricks' short story, The Sublet, through Amazon's First Reads program. The story revolves around Anne, a frazzled ghostwriter and aspiring novelist juggling the responsibilities of raising nine-year-old twins and maintaining a strained marriage in a cramped Manhattan apartment. Anne's life takes an unexpected turn when she lands a job helping wellness guru Melody Wells finish her overdue motivational book. Melody draws Anne into her seemingly idyllic world, one wrapped in a serene, lavender-branded persona that conceals a far more sinister truth. As Anne gets pulled deeper in, she's presented with a seemingly too-good-to-be-true sublet—a spacious three-bedroom apartment with breathtaking East River views. Initially overjoyed by the opportunity, Anne starts to question the true cost of this seemingly perfect life as small, unsettling incidents begin to accumulate.
I completely understand that writing a book is extremely hard work. The more short stories I read, the more I think writing one well might actually be harder than writing a full-length novel. I say that because most short stories end up just okay, like this one—it's rare that I come across an excellent one. Joe Hill, Stephen King, and Don Winslow are a few authors who immediately come to mind as writers of truly exceptional novellas.
Back to The Sublet. It started off strong, with an intriguing setup and a suspenseful build that had me genuinely curious how things would play out. But near the end, it sort of fell apart. There's a clear conclusion, but it felt rushed and hurried, lacking any real impact or payoff. I closed the book feeling pretty "meh" about the whole experience.
I previously read The Getaway by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen and enjoyed that one quite a bit more. My review is linked below.
Thought I'd sneak in a couple of pictures of the Zinderella Lilac zinnias I'm growing in the garden this year.
Photo credit: lostthepath.com
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