Review: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to read and review this book for TLC Book Tours. If I hadn't been approached with this book, I may never have gotten around to reading it, and I am so glad that I did read it. It's about Catherine, who loves going out with her friends, drinking, and meeting men. Then she meets Lee, who at first seems like the perfect boyfriend. But soon he becomes controling and abusive. Years later, Lee is in prison and Catherine is trying hard to move on and get over her OCD, which was brought on by what she had to deal with while she was dating Lee. Helping her is her new neighbor, Stuart. And then one day Catherine gets the phone call she's been dreading. Lee is getting released from prison.

So, the description of the book is definitely something that appealed to me when I first got the book. However, I was assuming that this was going to be just your typical crime novel.  I was very wrong and it ended up being so much better than I had expected.  It flips back and forth between when Catherine first met Lee to Catherine 3 years later and the lasting effects he has had on her.  I loved this format because right at the beginning we see Catherine as a young and happy woman and OCD Catherine who takes different routes home from work every night to make sure she's not being followed.  As the future Catherine starts to heal, we see the Catherine from the past slowly start developing her OCD.  I think this book shows just how messed up she got from the relationship so well.  Also, it shows how unwilling some people are to accept that bad things are going on.

Reading Catherine's story, it is so easy to see how someone can get sucked into an unhealthy relationship.  She tried talking about it with her friends, and they thought she was overreacting.  When Lee first starts to be controling, she doesn't really think much of it, but that's what ends up getting her stuck in her situation.  She didn't really realize what she'd gotten herself into until she was deep in it.  And it's scary to think about because what Catherine went through is so true for many, many really women out there.

I highly recommend this book.  If you're put off at first because you think it's going to read like your basic crime novel, don't be.  It is so much more than that.

Have you read this book or anything that deals with unhealthy relationships?  Do share :)

To see other blogs that are reviewing this book, check out the TLC Book Tours page.

Title: Into the Darkest Corner
Author: Elizabeth Haynes
Date of Publication: Paperback edition: 2013
Number of Pages: 432
Genre: Fiction
Source: TLC Book Tours