tama_is_here's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Dementia, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Rape and War
Minor: Drug abuse
shelleyrae's review
3.0
A disturbing novel of psychological suspense, The Exit is Helen Fitzgerald's eleventh book.
The narrative alternates between the perspectives of 23-year-old Catherine, an unemployed, arrogant party girl, and Rose, an 82-year-old children’s book author and illustrator suffering from dementia, whose hold on the present is tenuous. Rose is a resident of Dear Green, a small private care home in Glasgow, Scotland, and the two meet when Catherine, at her mother's insistence, reluctantly accepts a job in the private facility as an aide.
Of the handful of residents, Catherine is least repulsed by Rose, and when the old woman offers her £1000 to deliver a message she is happy to humour Rose's ravings about 'truth' and 'Room 7'. Catherine is thinking only of escaping to Ibiza to work on her tan when she discovers some creepy entries in the care log and she begins to suspect that Rose might be right, something is very wrong at Dear Green.
There are several unexpected twists and turns in The Exit which eventually exposes a dark and perverted secret but not before Catherine and Rose almost become victims of their suspicions. I was slow to warm to Catherine, who seems determined to live up to the stereotype of Gen Y, while Rose's dementia, and tragic past, inspires a mix of pity and admiration, but I found myself anxious for the welfare of both women as the story unfolded.
There was a major element of the story, involving Catherine's mother, that didn't really work for me. I can't reveal too much without risking spoilers but I felt it was an odd addition to the plot. In addition the conclusion was more ambiguous than I would prefer.
The story feels a little slow to start as Fitzgerald establishes character but the pace picks up, and The Exit is a quick read. What I didn't really expect was the vein of humour that occasionally leavens the horror.
The Exit is an unsettling thriller, though I didn't grip me the way [b:The Cry|17846926|The Cry|Helen Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1375213561s/17846926.jpg|24978266] did, I did enjoy it.
fearnleyfiction's review
4.0
I just want to start this review by saying I did my Masters dissertation on Serial Killers, so I’m used to grotesque and outside the box information information. However, this book has left me slightly stunned, and if that doesn’t give you an indication of the book, then I suggest you read it yourself and make up your own mind.
Catherine gets a job at Dear Green Care Home, where she meets Rose. Rose has dementia. As the book goes on we know that Rose suspects that something is happening in the care home, although because she is an old lady of 82 no one believed her, that is no one except for Catherine who promises to help find out what is going on.
As time goes on you start to root for Catherine hoping she will find out the truth, facing her own trials through out the book (I will not tell you what) and you fall in love with Rose who is not as batty as people think she is; she goes back to her 10 year old self when something happened to her (again I won’t tell you).
As the books starts off it says ‘four weeks prior to death’ which makes you automatically think oh its X has died, however, there are lots of twists and turns and its not all what you think and all is not as it seems….
The ending of the book is where thing start to unravel with Catherine doing her own investigation, trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted and finding out that people are not who they say they are.
I found this book hard to get into at first but by 30 pages I was hooked and I read most of it today, you could easily sit down with this book and read it in a day. The writing is good, very easy to read, the chapters are perfect length so if you think you’ll just read one more you don’t have to stop half way through a chapter (one of my pet peeves, I hate doing this), but if you have to there are some good places to stop.
I have never read any of Helen Fitzgerald’s books before but I may give the others a try after this. Because I’m still a bit shocked and I found it hard to get into to begin with;
4 stars
Catherine gets a job at Dear Green Care Home, where she meets Rose. Rose has dementia. As the book goes on we know that Rose suspects that something is happening in the care home, although because she is an old lady of 82 no one believed her, that is no one except for Catherine who promises to help find out what is going on.
As time goes on you start to root for Catherine hoping she will find out the truth, facing her own trials through out the book (I will not tell you what) and you fall in love with Rose who is not as batty as people think she is; she goes back to her 10 year old self when something happened to her (again I won’t tell you).
As the books starts off it says ‘four weeks prior to death’ which makes you automatically think oh its X has died, however, there are lots of twists and turns and its not all what you think and all is not as it seems….
The ending of the book is where thing start to unravel with Catherine doing her own investigation, trusting people who shouldn’t be trusted and finding out that people are not who they say they are.
I found this book hard to get into at first but by 30 pages I was hooked and I read most of it today, you could easily sit down with this book and read it in a day. The writing is good, very easy to read, the chapters are perfect length so if you think you’ll just read one more you don’t have to stop half way through a chapter (one of my pet peeves, I hate doing this), but if you have to there are some good places to stop.
I have never read any of Helen Fitzgerald’s books before but I may give the others a try after this. Because I’m still a bit shocked and I found it hard to get into to begin with;
4 stars
buciperfectedisorder's review
3.0
3.5
was the writing good? yes
do i wish id never picked this up? also yes
was the writing good? yes
do i wish id never picked this up? also yes
ladybirder's review
4.0
I read this book in two days, and hardly moved during that time, it was just so compelling.
Set around a care home for those near the end of their life, the story follows an 82 year old author and dementia patient, Rose, and a 23 year old reluctant care worker/party girl, Catherine. The character of Rose was what initially got me hooked. The mention of her drawings, and specifically the code of the green Wellington boots in every picture that mirrored a scene from real life, was intriguing. Catherine took longer to warm up to but it was interesting to see the transition in her sense of responsibility as her circumstances changed.
The big reveal as to what Rose found so disturbing about the care home was nothing like I could have imagined (and I'd imagined all kinds). Very dark, disturbing and sinister.
My only criticism is that it ended so suddenly. It just felt unfinished and I have one or two unanswered questions. otherwise, this was a gripping and extremely shocking thriller that I would recommend to anyone.
Set around a care home for those near the end of their life, the story follows an 82 year old author and dementia patient, Rose, and a 23 year old reluctant care worker/party girl, Catherine. The character of Rose was what initially got me hooked. The mention of her drawings, and specifically the code of the green Wellington boots in every picture that mirrored a scene from real life, was intriguing. Catherine took longer to warm up to but it was interesting to see the transition in her sense of responsibility as her circumstances changed.
The big reveal as to what Rose found so disturbing about the care home was nothing like I could have imagined (and I'd imagined all kinds). Very dark, disturbing and sinister.
My only criticism is that it ended so suddenly. It just felt unfinished and I have one or two unanswered questions. otherwise, this was a gripping and extremely shocking thriller that I would recommend to anyone.
a_thousand_little_lands's review against another edition
5.0
This book surprised me a lot. It scared me, shocked me, made me cry! I loved this book even if I do feel a little strange now. Some very sensitive topics which I’ve never really read about before but it was captivating and I read this in a day.
antheasaw's review
1.0
To be honest I don't even know why I decided to read this book... Having read The Cry before, I HATED IT. Thought this might be different. Yes it was, in a bad way. Worse.
It started off really good and captivating. There were two narratives, Catherine and Rose. Rose has dementia which causes her to be confused and not taken seriously by the people around her. Catherine is a narcissistic shallow little girl whom I despised right from the beginning.
Everything was sinister and strange. Why is there a specific "schedule" in which most of the elderly die? What is it in room 7 that make Rose so edgy and constantly warning the people about?
Things took a weird turn 3/4 through the book. It was too far-fetched and unrealistic and just plain clusterfuckery.
Won't ever read from this author ever again.
It started off really good and captivating. There were two narratives, Catherine and Rose. Rose has dementia which causes her to be confused and not taken seriously by the people around her. Catherine is a narcissistic shallow little girl whom I despised right from the beginning.
Everything was sinister and strange. Why is there a specific "schedule" in which most of the elderly die? What is it in room 7 that make Rose so edgy and constantly warning the people about?
Things took a weird turn 3/4 through the book. It was too far-fetched and unrealistic and just plain clusterfuckery.
Won't ever read from this author ever again.
marcccb's review
3.0
3.5 stars
I read the synopsis of this novel and knew I had to get my hands on it because it was just so intriguing. This is a first by Fitzgerald for me and I always enjoy discovering authors that I've never read before.
82 year old Rose has dementia but she tells newbie caretaker Catherine that something bad is going in this place. In Room 7. But Room 7 is always locked whenever Catherine tries to enter? Why is this? Is something sinister going on in this hospital or is Rose's dementia making her make things up?
I really was hooked and enjoyed how Rose's character switches from an 82 year old and a 10 year old. We are told the entire story of Rose and what happened to her when she was younger and the events leading up to her stay at the hospital. She was my favorite character in this book, she was just crazy, but in a good way! I loved the little crazy aspects about her character and the fact that she had dementia made it even more fun to read and made her character more lovable. There's just something about her and I'm sure I'm not the only one who favored her.
All the characters were amazing as well, but Rose just stood out for me. Everyone had secrets and if I'm being honest they're very disturbing ones. While Catherin digs deeper and looks for answers, what she finds is nothign close to what I expected. It made me very uncomfortable but that was not going to stop me from reading. It goes to show that people aren't to be trsuted and there are some real creeps out there!
A wonderful novel by Fitzgerald and based on this book, I will be reading more titles by her.
I read the synopsis of this novel and knew I had to get my hands on it because it was just so intriguing. This is a first by Fitzgerald for me and I always enjoy discovering authors that I've never read before.
82 year old Rose has dementia but she tells newbie caretaker Catherine that something bad is going in this place. In Room 7. But Room 7 is always locked whenever Catherine tries to enter? Why is this? Is something sinister going on in this hospital or is Rose's dementia making her make things up?
I really was hooked and enjoyed how Rose's character switches from an 82 year old and a 10 year old. We are told the entire story of Rose and what happened to her when she was younger and the events leading up to her stay at the hospital. She was my favorite character in this book, she was just crazy, but in a good way! I loved the little crazy aspects about her character and the fact that she had dementia made it even more fun to read and made her character more lovable. There's just something about her and I'm sure I'm not the only one who favored her.
All the characters were amazing as well, but Rose just stood out for me. Everyone had secrets and if I'm being honest they're very disturbing ones. While Catherin digs deeper and looks for answers, what she finds is nothign close to what I expected. It made me very uncomfortable but that was not going to stop me from reading. It goes to show that people aren't to be trsuted and there are some real creeps out there!
A wonderful novel by Fitzgerald and based on this book, I will be reading more titles by her.
mononoke88's review
4.0
I usually find Helen Fitzgerald books very far fetched and this was no different however even though the stories might be a little out there I seem to always enjoy them. This book felt quite different to the others I had read. It came from a different angle and didn't reveal much of the final plot near the beginning which I do prefer. This book covers a shallow girl called Catherine who lacks any ambition beyond taking the perfect selfie for her social media. Pressure from her mum finds her taking a job as a Care Assistant in a Residential Home. It is here she meets Rose, an 82 year old author who due to Dementia often slips back to relive the terrible events which occurred when she was 10. The book is sad but often heart warming but has the creepy undertone of something which is going on at the Residential Home which Rose is trying to tell people but her illness gets in the way.
hollxx's review against another edition
5.0
I have no words for how amazing this book was!!
Catherine takes a job at a care home and looks after 82 year old Rose, who has Dementia. Rose's Dementia means that she often believes she is 10 years old again and re-lives her sisters death.
Rose is certain that something evil is going on in room 7, she tries to express herself and her concerns through her drawings and tries to pass them onto other people outside of the home to try and do something to help. Will Catherine believe her? Will anybody do anything to help?
This book to say the least was extremely thrilling. I read this book in one day as I just could not put it down. I felt so sad for Rose, that she wasn't believed by anybody and she had all her dignity took away from her in this home. She was treated like a prisoner and a child and I felt so sad that this is most likely how many people have to suffer their last few years of life.
I did not expect the twist in this book at all, I just thought it would be very similar to other thrillers with this type of story-line but it most definitely wasn't!! Honestly, the twist in this book had me shook, I still feel very "what the heck just happened" over it!!!!!!
Catherine takes a job at a care home and looks after 82 year old Rose, who has Dementia. Rose's Dementia means that she often believes she is 10 years old again and re-lives her sisters death.
Rose is certain that something evil is going on in room 7, she tries to express herself and her concerns through her drawings and tries to pass them onto other people outside of the home to try and do something to help. Will Catherine believe her? Will anybody do anything to help?
This book to say the least was extremely thrilling. I read this book in one day as I just could not put it down. I felt so sad for Rose, that she wasn't believed by anybody and she had all her dignity took away from her in this home. She was treated like a prisoner and a child and I felt so sad that this is most likely how many people have to suffer their last few years of life.
I did not expect the twist in this book at all, I just thought it would be very similar to other thrillers with this type of story-line but it most definitely wasn't!! Honestly, the twist in this book had me shook, I still feel very "what the heck just happened" over it!!!!!!