Second Life is a thriller novel that overstays its welcome
Psychological thrillers aren’t usually my first go-to genre when deciding which beach-read fiction to turn to next. So I can’t recall why I settled on Second Life from 2015 by S.J. Watson.
It’s the story of Julia, a photographer in London whose sister Kate has been murdered in the street in Paris. Julia sets out to find out who did it and finds that the people in every aspect of her life have many inner and often dark secrets.
Marcus was her artist boyfriend who shared in her previous heroin addiction and died of an overdose. She has stabilized her life and now lives with her husband Hugh. They have adopted Kate’s son Conner. Things begin to deteriorate quickly when Julia begins an affair with a mysterious and sexy stranger named Lukas that quickly moves from the computer to the bedroom. This part of the story has rightly been compared to Fifty Shades of Grey (which may have be fine once, but not again).
The novel provides lots of cliff-hanger moments and fairly strong character development. That said, none of the characters are particularly likable and the book is longer and more wordy (probably under the guise of trying to add to the suspense) than it needs to be.
I’m still not sure why I picked it. It is an entertaining read, but it’s not worth investing in for 416 pages.
Watson’s first novel, Before I Go to Sleep, was highly acclaimed and turned into a 2014 movie starring Nicole Kidman. I’d say that might be a better investment, but it only gets a 37 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Reese Witherspoon picked up the film rights to Second Life when it was released, but perhaps she too has realized over time that this may just not be worth it.
3 out of 5 stars