Nestled in a small, sleepy town in upstate New York lies the house of lineman Aidan Thomas and his 13 year-old daughter, Cecelia. Behind the house is a shed. And within that shed, is a nameless woman.
She's been there five years.
And she's the one victim whose life Aidan has--for reasons unbeknownst to her--spared.
When Aidan and Cecelia must unexpectedly move to a rental house in town, the nameless woman comes too. Still Aidan's prisoner, but presented to Cecelia as Rachel, the quiet tenant renting out their spare room. As the woman's world expands beyond just Aidan for the first time in years, her hope of escape--however small--returns, but one wrong move under the guise of the tenant could be the end of everything.
Told in various points of view that alternate between the woman from the shed, Cecelia, and Emily, a bartender from a popular restaurant in town, "The Quiet Tenant" is a masterfully-executed story that tells you exactly what it is from the beginning. Perhaps most important is for readers to decide if they're willing to embark on the dreadful march of suspense that this story takes you on knowing full-well what it's all about, because from the onset, there's little to figure out.
At face value, this is a rather unremarkable story, but its execution truly is what makes it remarkable. Michallon's writing is stunning, spine-tingling, and ends chapters in the sort of way that makes you realize you've been holding your breath the entire time. Her characters are plausible, intriguing, and human; which means, in ways, they're unpredictable.
Going into this, I suspected it would be a slow burn but instead found myself finishing it in under a day. Here, Michallon sets herself apart in the realm of abduction thrillers with the sheer sense of humanity she embeds into the story. I loved this much more than I was expecting to and can't recommend it enough.
Rating: 5 stars
Publication Details: Out 6/20/2023, Knopf Publishing
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
