Book Review: An Anonymous Girl

Once again, I stumbled onto a book written by two women, a concept I find so alluring. Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen work well together. I was hesitant because their New York Times best-selling book, The Wife Between Us, concerns infidelity and jealousy (I haven't read it). The comparison titles, Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, didn't encourage me in the slightest. Indeed, at the beginning of An Anonymous Girl, I thought I might have to set the book aside, worried the content might veer off into racy alleys I didn't want to traverse. And it wasn't a wholesome read (protagonist is promiscuous and antagonist is insidious), but I marvel at the authors' expert ability to weave this intricate tale and hold me riveted through hundreds of pages, unable to set it aside for a moment.

The premise lured me in and kept me reading when I felt apprehension. By the time I was midway through, you couldn't tear me away from the book. Jessica Farris is a make-up artist who signs up for a psychology study to make easy money. By answering a questionnaire on ethics and morality, you make $500. The questions are probing and the research professor, Dr. Shields, won't settle for timid answers or lies. She's determined to get to the heart of the subject's moral compass. But something about Jessica (Subject 52) induces Dr. Shields to take the study to a whole new level. With pressing financial needs (help for her disabled sister) and the promise of even greater compensation, Jessica agrees without realizing what it might involve. As things unravel, Jessica gets caught up in the maelstrom. What is the truth? Should she lie? Who can she trust? What motive propels the study? Is this study, on ethics and morality, ethically and morally sound?

The book lived up to the accolades for The Wife Between Us, listed on the back cover: "A fiendishly smart cat-and-mouse thriller." (The New York Times); "Suspenseful and spring-loaded." (The Washington Post); "Buckle up, because you won't be able to put this one down." (Glamour) Indeed, I devoured the book ravenously in two days.

Probably the thing that enticed me the most was contemplating how seemingly innocuous choices can have far-reaching consequences. Two characters in the book take small actions that result in devastating trauma and loss for individuals they love. I am at just such a crossroads myself. As the book grappled with issues of morality, faithfulness, loyalty, and truth-telling, I thought of my own dilemmas arising from innocent, unintentional actions. In the end, my enjoyment of the complexity of the tale, the skillful writing, and the well-paced plot, overruled my hesitations stemming from the less wholesome aspects.

While the authors tastefully shied away from graphic descriptions, simply stating "she slept with him," the unwholesome aspects kept me from highly recommending this book. Still, I must admit it is a well-written, cleverly planned, and carefully executed thriller. I don't regret reading it and will continue to ponder the issues for days to come.