Book Review: Doctor Glass by Louise Worthington

published by TCK Publishing.com 2022.

Overview

The author did a very good job in marketing this book. It was the front that caught me as it says: The Silent Patient meets Misery.

I read both of those books and was immediately intrigued.

The cover of the book is well done and alludes to the darkness that follows but alas I was somewhat let down.

Premise: Dr. Glass is a female psychiatrist/therapist who receives a letter regarding an interview she did. The letter threatens her and her life. She doesn’t call or inform authorities–strike one– and continues on her merry way.

The opening chapter is dark, gloomy, and holds great promise. It had an emotional impact that was like a boot in the gut. This scene is in line with the threats received by the Dr., but the author veers away in another direction and took several chapters to return in full.

The Story Line

I think where the author began to lose me was in the introduction of all the characters in their personal spaces and life.

These were secondary characters who end up having an impact on the outcome of the book, but are nonetheless not really that important or interesting.

I would have like to have seen two characters (AJ and Kat) in particular, woven in through existing scenes.

Both of these characters, along with AJ’s partner Hannah, are too contrived for me. The reader is left to wonder how they fit into the story and that in itself tells me that the author had the plot but needed the reasons/solutions behind it.

As a reader, I don’t want to have to ask why this character is important. I want to be shocked and surprised not manipulated.

As it Continues…

The story line gets muted by discussions and time spent on other patients and their issues that have absolutely nothing to do with the main plot.

It’s great to have underlying stories, but the girl who wanted to gain weight and the mother who lost her child, really had no bearing on taking the main story forward. Again, contrived for shock value instead of moving the story forward.

The Friend…

In this particular book, the friend was a Dietician who openly dates one of the doctors patients–Strike Three…–I let a lot of stuff go, but this was so far-fetched and totally unprofessional that it was off the charts.

Sorry, but a doctor would not endorse a relationship between an active patient and their best friend. Oh, did I tell you that the Dr. and her bestie work out of the same office space. Um, no…nada… shouldn’t happen.

In this instance, I believe the author wanted to show a different side to one of the characters (the patient) and this was the way. It worked, but was not plausible.

I almost stopped reading right there, but alas I kept going.

The Conclusion

I seriously liked the way the author tied up the end of this book. There were a few things that may have been too contrived, but it still worked.

The end caught me off guard–YAY AUTHOR– and the author was able to show some growth within the main character of Dr. Glass.

While all that is good, the journey is as important as the destination and must be considered. This author almost lost me a few times.

Though repetitive at times, the writing was pretty good. It had obviously gone through an edit or two.

The promise of The Silent Patient meets Misery, really never came about.

The story was predictable for the most part, but this author shows a lot of promise. It’s a fairly easy read and if you have the time an inclination to support a independant author…go for it.

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