Sweat, Emma Healey
In Emma Healey’s third novel, she turns her focus to the world of fitness, depicting a coercive relationship that spirals out of control with catastrophic results. It’s a claustrophobic literary thriller with an intense focus on the limits of the body, our fascination for self-improvement, and the destructive nature of self-control.
When personal trainer Cassie takes on a new client, she’s shocked and repulsed. It’s her ex-boyfriend Liam, and now he appears to be blind. With Liam in a state of vulnerability, Cassie jumps at the opportunity for cruel subterfuge, putting him through his paces and embarking on a steady escalation of vengeful acts. Here, Healey navigates the body with admirable prowess and the sensuality of the close confines of an exercise session make for uncomfortable reading.
There are plenty of twists and turns, and I enjoyed the skilfully woven flashbacks into Liam and Cassie’s relationship. We see his unusual control methods through Cassie’s adoring gaze as she attempts to convince herself all is normal, and we watch on as his insidious grip takes over all aspects of her life.
This is dramatic fiction at its finest, but Healey threads in plenty of dark humour at every turn. Cassie is a compelling character, flawed but active, and you can’t help but root for her. With her protagonist, Healey evokes a fascinating conversation on what the body is and how it can be manipulated. Led by Liam, Cassie’s desperation to control her own body is beautifully evoked.
Then there’s the end; just as Healey builds the tension, the end is truly explosive and left me gasping! Emma Healey won the First Novel category at the 2014 Costa Awards for her much applauded debut, Elizabeth is Missing, and here she shows she can easily take her hand to whatever genre she chooses.
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