Watching You: A Novel

The book opens with a cryptic diary entry setting up certain expectations, then is forgotten for two hundred and fifty pages. This is followed by a crime scene. A murder is being investigated and readers are privy to some things found at that scene. In this small British town, neighbors watch each other, but not in the looking-out-for-each-other way. The watching is obsessive, voyeuristic, and driven by mental conditions, illness, and who knows what else. There are many watchers. The point of view switches often to expose readers to the story’s many characters and their proclivities, introducing a veritable plethora of red herrings. Most of these characters are not particularly likable, and it is quite hard to find anyone to cheer for or care about. This includes the people who might be the murder victim because even who the victim is doesn’t become clear until very late in the book. The author, Lisa Jewell, tries to create tension by keeping as much information as possible from readers but instead creates a very slow, dragging story with little to keep the reader engaged. The payoff is too little and too late, a disappointment from this good author.