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    Disclaimer: A Novel
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    Disclaimer: A Novel
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    Disclaimer: A Novel
    Ebook329 pages5 hours

    Disclaimer: A Novel

    By Renée Knight

    3.5/5

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    About this ebook

    “Disclaimer is something special. . . an outstandingly clever and twisty tale that’s been perfectly engineered to make heads spin. This novel’s opening promise of menace is not overstated. Ms. Knight lives up to the initial deal she made with readers and delivers fully. . . . That’s a rare payoff in a genre full of letdowns. Its value can’t be stressed enough.” — Janet Maslin, New York Times

    A brilliantly conceived, deeply unsettling psychological thriller about a woman haunted by secrets, the consuming desire for revenge, and the terrible price we pay when we try to hide the truth.

    What if you realized the terrifying book you were reading was all about you?

    When a mysterious novel appears at documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft’s bedside, she is curious. She has no idea who might have sent her The Perfect Stranger—or how it ended up on her nightstand. At first, she is intrigued by the suspenseful story that unfolds. And then she realizes this isn’t fiction. The Perfect Stranger re-creates in vivid, unmistakable detail the day Catherine became hostage to a dark secret, a secret that only one other person knew—and that person is dead.

    Now that the past Catherine so desperately wants to forget is catching up with her, her world is falling apart. Plunged into a living nightmare, her only hope is to confront what really happened on that awful day . . . even if the shocking truth might destroy her.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 19, 2015
    ISBN9780062362278
    Author

    Renée Knight

    Renée Knight worked for the BBC directing arts documentaries before turning to writing. She has had TV and film scripts commissioned by the BBC, Channel Four, and Capital Films. In April 2013, she graduated from the Faber Academy “Writing a Novel” course, whose alumni include S. J. Watson. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

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    Reviews for Disclaimer

    3.5/5

    280 ratings22 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Documentary filmmaker Catherine Ravenscroft has just moved into a new house with her husband, Robert. It's here that she finds a novel by her bedside that she didn't put there nor did she buy. As she reads on, she realizes that this is her story, her secret - a secret that only one other person knew about, and that person is dead. But things didn't quite happen the way the book portrays and Catherine's life turns into a nightmare as she is forced to travel back twenty years and finally tell the story the way it really happened.

      It started off okay, but I found myself impatient and irritated by how slow it was going. I had high hopes for this book, but was a little disappointed in it.

      I loved this: I bite my fingernails to keep them short, spitting them out and leaving them where they stick, brittle and sharp around my desk. I am not a bloody circus performer, though: I can't do the same with my toenails.
    • 4/5
      I struggled to get into this book - it was like attempting to fly a kite that keeps getting downed by cross-winds. Every time I thought I had a grip on the characters in the section I was reading and their relationship to each other, we were away and with another set of characters and it was unclear how these characters related to the other ones, or even whether the events were happening simultaneously. It took an age for me to get to grips with it, but once the 'kite' was up and flying, how it soared. I liked the author's writing style - clear, unobtrusive, plot-driven. The twists and turns in the story were impressive. If there was a bum note at the end, it was the ease with which one of the characters appeared to accept that they were in the wrong, despite the zeal with which they had previously held their convictions. That said, I think the author did enough to explain that away. Just about.
    • 3/5
      DisclaimerI am generally wary of thrillers that emerge from nowhere with terrific media hype, but my suspicions were not justified at all in the case of this book.The book takes the form of two interspersed narratives: one written by Catherine Ravenscroft, a prize-winning producer of investigative journalism documentaries; with the other by Stephen Brigstocke, a widower and retired teacher. The book opens with Catherine in a state of shock, reeling after having started reading a book that she found on the bedside table in her new flat. Just a few pages in to it, she realises that the story it tells is her own, and recounts unspecified events that she has never talked about to anyone, including her husband and twenty-five year old son. She does some basic checks and establishes that the book has been privately published under a pseudonym, and is initially stumped in her desire to discover more about it. Stephen’s account, meanwhile, revolves initially around the shock he encountered after having gone through his late wife’s things and coming across a packet of old photographs of her which suggest that she had been unfaithful. He also finds her manuscript of a story which alarms him 9aalso for unspecified reasons) and inspires a deep dislike of, and wish to harm, Catherine Ravenscroft. As the story unfolds, Catherine starts to use her experience as an investigator, and the resources available to her as a member of a film production company to try to discover who wrote the book, while Stephen develops his plans to cause her further distress. The pair end up engaged in distant stalking of each other, and the impact of their conflict draws other people in.Ms Knight maintains the tension between the two narratives very carefully, not least because the reader is left wondering what the specific cause for the enmity is. This is very effectively and powerfully written, and all the more impressive given that it is her first novel.
    • 4/5
      It was ok . I kept reading more because I was curious than because it was captivating. I ended up guessing most of it. I wouldn't recommand it.
    • 4/5
      Was man an diesem Buch definitiv bemängeln kann, ist die Aufmachung: Der völlig unpassende Titel und die Umschlaggestaltung/ -beschreibung lassen auf einen Thriller oder ähnliches schließen. Dabei ist das Buch eben ein Roman, der nicht einmal besonders spannend ist. Denn es wird zwar ziemlich deutlich, wie die Protagonisten, v.a. Catherine, immer mehr an Boden verlieren. Doch da es wenige subtile Andeutungen gibt und alles relativ schnell deutlich zu sein scheint, kommen beim Leser kein Rätselraten und keine Stimmung der subtilen Bedrohung auf. Die einzige Spannung entsteht bei der Frage, ob Catherine es irgendwie schafft, ihr Leben zurück zu bekommen.Trotzdem ist das Buch gut zu lesen. Catherine wird mit einem Buch konfrontiert das offensichtlich von ihr handelt. Ein schlimmes Erlebnis 20 Jahre zuvor, das sie nie jemandem erzählt hat, wird aufgerollt. Der Autor des Buches lässt auch Catherines Mann und Sohn teilhaben und so zerstört er fast Catherines Familie. Der etwas zähe Anfang wird durch einen atemberaubenden Schluss entschädigt.
    • 4/5
      Catherine Ravenscroft finds a book in her new home. The standard disclaimer stating that it is a work of fiction and that any resemblance to persons living or dead is strictly coincidental, has been crossed out. The book describes an episode from her past, 15 years prior, that she has been able to keep concealed until now.
    • 3/5
      This is a novel in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. There’s an unreliable narrator and a story that twists and turns on itself as each new revelation sheds a different light on the story being told. The novel concerns Catherine, who upon reading a book that just showed up at her house, comes face to face with the events of some fifteen years ago, and sees herself clearly identified as the villain of the piece. It throws her into a tailspin, unable to sleep and uncertain of what to do next. It’s a good enough set up for a decent beach novel, but it’s uneven in the execution. Too much of the book depended on information being withheld from the reader, although it’s known to the main characters. While this strategy kept me reading, it didn’t make me trust the storytelling. And just as I started to become bored enough with the initial pattern of the book, Knight stands the entire premise on its head and delivers an unexpected and unexpectedly powerful reveal, which is then marred by the reaction of the main characters. There’s one individual whose reaction to a version of the secret being revealed is so unlikely and over the top that I wondered at Catherine’s ever allowing them to become a part of her life. Taken as a whole, Disclaimer was a decent enough entertainment, but nothing more.
    • 5/5
      Wow!! What a book!!! A true thriller with twists and turns that will keep you guessing till the very end. And even then you will not guess the final twist. I literally gasped out loud when I came to the final revelation!! I feel like I need to give this book a disclaimer of my own. DISCLAIMER: This book will grab you and not let you go. And once you are done, you will thank Renee Knight for the amazing ride.
    • 5/5
      This is the best psychological thriller I've read in a long time. The characters are realistic and complex, the story full of twists and turns. The main character, Catherine could be any woman in the developed world and her pain and inability to share it rings very true. As is so often the case with real families, what is left unsaid is what drives wedges into relationships and creates the pain that can not be completely ignored nor ever truly fixed. This is far better than Girl on the Train and miles better than Gone Girl. If you like psychological thrillers, read this book.
    • 4/5
      Takes a while to get going. Has a long start of teasing about "the terrible secret" that is kind of clumsy and tiresome. Gets much better as it goes along and I would rate it higher if not for the start.
    • 3/5
      This book moved kind of slowly for me. The first 100 pages are two distinct story lines. One involves an angry old man and the other concerns Catherine Ravenscroft, a highly paranoid woman who is made more so by the secret delivery of a book that seems to be about her life. Unfortunately for her the book isn't very flattering to her and it's nothing she would want her husband and son to associate her with. For far too many pages I was bored as these seemingly unrelated story lines unraveled. By the time the two characters came together and their association was revealed I had to suspend a lot of disbelief to make it to the end. This book has been compared to Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I am sure a lot of people will probably enjoy this book but for me the promising premise never became truly thrilling.
    • 4/5
      Catherine Ravenscroft was several chapters into the book, Disclaimer, before she realized the story was about her. But how did the book get into her house? With no witnesses, how did anyone know about what happened in Spain so many years ago? Catherine tries to hide the book from her husband and adult son, but they soon mysteriously receive copies of their own. As the author finds other ways to expose Catherine's secret and gain his revenge on her, Catherine becomes desperate to figure out who is the author and why he is trying to destroy her life.I thought this was an interesting and suspenseful novel, but the premise was slightly better than the story. A good psychological thriller to talk about the costs and benefits of keeping dark secrets from the ones you love.
    • 5/5
      DISCLAIMER was so good, probably my favorite book I’ve read this year. It’s the best kind of psychological thriller – dark and suspenseful, gut-wrenching, emotional, and surprising. Wouldn’t you be terrified to find a book written about you, especially if you had a terrible secret to keep? Past what the blurb says, I don’t think you should know anything about the plot before reading this book, so my lips are sealed.The author created a cast of complex and flawed characters, and it was easy to experience the whirlwind of emotions that they did. It was hard to decide who to be angry with, and who to sympathize with. As pieces of the puzzle were revealed, I kept changing my mind over how I felt about certain characters, and then the big twist was revealed, and I was stunned. Everything changed again.DISCLAIMER is a well-crafted, suspenseful mystery, and despite its dark theme, I was left with a glimmer of hope. Fantastic debut novel. Okay, so when does Renée Knight’s next book come out?
    • 4/5
      3.5 Psychological twisty. Fast paced, the revelations keep coming and even when I was sold on one theory, another presented itself. A very good suspense filled story, one where it tales a while to like any of these characters, not too sure if I ever did but it didn't seem to matter. Didn't see the ending coming, total surprise which I have to, admit I appreciated.
    • 4/5
      The premise of this book is very intriguing: a woman begins reading a book and recognizes it as the story of something that occurred in her life twenty years ago. A secret is revealed, her husband finds out, her life begins to unravel. This novel of psychological suspense plays with ideas of truth and memory, loyalty and grief in an alternating narrative that keeps the momentum going. I couldn't help wishing, though, that a more experienced author had written it, because, while the story was compelling, the writing was often clunky and drew me out of the narrative to shake my head over an awkward analogy or misused word. That said, this would be a great airplane or beach read, as Knight knows something about pacing and how to keep her readers turning the pages. I look forward to seeing what she does next, as I believe this was her first novel.
    • 4/5
      s a book blogger, I receive a lot of books in the mail. Some I've requested and some are unsolicited. An unsolicited book is the jump off point for Renée Knight's debut novel, Disclaimer.Catherine is the main character in Disclaimer. During a chaotic move, she sits down to relax and read a book she's come across, although she's not sure from where. She's a few chapters in when she realizes the the book is about her....."There was no going back. Catherine had unwittingly stumbled across herself tucked into the pages of the book."And the standard disclaimer you find at the beginning of book...."Any resemblance to persons living or dead..." has a 'a neat red line through it.'What a great premise! I was hooked in the first few pages. But if that wasn't enough, Knight tells her story from two different narratives - that of Catherine - and the person who sent the book - Stephen.I couldn't stop reading - I wanted to know what is in the book, why he has sent it to Catherine, why this format, what has gone on before and so much more. What is the secret!"...The act of keeping the secret a secret has almost become bigger than the secret itself."Knight is a master of doling out clues and snippets that let the reader slowly build an idea or a picture of what might have happened. Her foreshadowing had me staying up just to read another chapter before turning off the light for the night.Then I reached the point of the book within the book where the secret is revealed. But - I was only about half way through the novel. What I thought I knew wasn't the end at all - there are more questions - and I desperately wanted the answers. Answers are provided by the end - but they aren't quite what I had imagined. I loved that I couldn't predict where the book was going to go.Stephen is a particularly despicable (and creepy) character. His thoughts and justifications are quite frightening. My feelings about Catherine changed with every new 'reveal' in Disclaimer. But by the end (and the ending was just right) I was firmly in her camp.Those who enjoy psychological twisty thrillers will enjoy Knight's debut. I did! (Nice little cover blurb from Lee Child as well)
    • 4/5
      This is an interesting read. Catherine, having just moved house, finds a book that she starts to read. Soon she is sickened to realise the book is about her and a secret that she has kept from her husband and son for many years. The other main character is retired teacher, Stephen Brigstocke, who is set on ruining Catherine's life. For a while the two of them tell their stories in alternate chapters and I wasn't sure how they were intertwined but then it became apparent. It is a tale of how you can believe the best in someone even when they are not worthy of it.I enjoyed this psychological thriller, although I never took to any of the characters and I always find that helps with the enjoyment of a book. But I found it a real page turner and I raced through it right up to its interesting conclusion. This is a good first novel from this author and I look forward to reading more from her.
    • 3/5
      I finished this book, but I'm not sure how. That's why I gave it 3 stars; at least it kept me coming back for more. I spent a lot of this book mad at various characters, and I especially got angry that the author left us hanging for so long before revealing the truth of what really happened. The book was disturbing on several levels, and I was glad when it ended.
    • 1/5
      Nope! I have so many thoughts about why this book makes me angry, but the main one is that the "plot twist" is cheap and lazy and honestly distasteful. I've read seriously f-ed up books that I like better than this one. And you know why I liked them? Because they mean something; because they make a point bigger than the crazy/weird/disgusting pieces of story are by themselves. This book does nothing bigger. It's just a sad story about sad people doing sad things to each other.
    • 2/5
      The start of this book really gripped me. A sucessful woman receives a book, begins reading it and realizes that the story is all about her. She has no idea who wrote it and who is trying to expose her secrets. The author wants to ruin her life just as he perceives, she ruined his. The man seems to be a little unbalanced.

      The reader is left in the dark as to what the big secret is, as the main character doesn't reveal what is written in the book and what she has been hiding until you're half-way through the actual story. But once you find what the book he sent is about, it's a case of "is that it???" But then there's a twist, and you are left wondering which character, if either, is a reliable narrator, and what really happened.

      I found the ending to be totally unbelievable, both characters did an about face towards the end. Given the terrific start to this book, it could have, and should have been so much better.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      The book's "twist" was deeply disturbing.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      This is a plot driven suspense novel told from two perspectives. At first these seem similar but they diverge dramatically as the story unfolds. To her credit, Knight manages to maintain tension and unpredictability by slowly revealing facts and twists. Catherine Ravenscroft discovers a novel (The Perfect Stranger) at her bedside and feels that it is an unflattering version of her life. Unfortunately Knight does not describe the book well enough for the reader to fully appreciate how it could have had such an impact on Catherine. Stephen Brigstocke is responsible for the book and is using it as a device to torment Catherine because he believes she played a role in the death of his beloved son, Jonathan. The premise is unusual for the suspense genre and could have been a compelling read. Unfortunately, Knight’s mishandling of her characters is a major detraction to enjoying this story. For her, plot twists are more important than developing characters who behave realistically. Instead she sacrifices their credibility to maintain a high level of suspense and unpredictability in the plot. They seem to go through wildly inconsistent swings making them less believable. At the end, the reader is left wondering if everything revealed is real or just another plot twist. Catherine starts out seeming to be an unfaithful wife and an extremely cold mother, but morphs into a heroine and loving parent. Stephen, at first is threatening and possibly insane but becomes a benevolent and apologetic person by the book’s end. Catherine’s husband Robert swings from being hurt and totally lacking in empathy for his wife to a fawning apologist. Even Catherine finds his swing difficult to believe. Knight completely “jumps the shark” with Jonathan. His transformation from a nice young man to something more malevolent is impossible to describe without spoiling the story. Catherine’s son, Nicholas is not developed well enough to actually understand his fairly bland behavior throughout. None of these characters is likeable primarily because they don’t seem well grounded or admirable for anything, either good or evil. Essentially they are just pawns in the service of maintaining a suspenseful plot.

      1 person found this helpful