My enormous thanks to Alison Barrow at Transworld Publishers for providing a review copy of ‘Disclaimer’ by Renee Knight.

When their adult son Nicholas moves out of the family home, Robert and Catherine downsize their house. In the melee of moving, a book ‘The Perfect Stranger’ appears next to the bed and Catherine begins to read. To her horror, the book is about her and reveals a secret she thought she’d buried years before.

There has been so much praise for Renee Knight’s debut novel, ‘Diclaimer’ that I thought much of it must just be publisher hype and I was prepared to be hugely disappointed. How wrong can you be? I am worried about writing this review as I don’t think I have sufficient vocabulary to describe how brilliant ‘Disclaimer’ is without using cliches. it is impossible to believe this is a debut novel.

There is a reduced palette of characters so that the reader is entirely absorbed into their world and the events that surround them. The events themselves add layer upon layer of detail and perspective with one twist and shock following another. I found my heart racing as I read. Renee Knight so manipulated my opinions of the characters that my head was reeling by the time I’d finished reading.

The structure switches between Catherine’s story told in the present tense third person and Stephen’s story told from his first person point of view. The changes of perspective are utterly convincing.

Another feature that makes ‘Disclaimer’ such an incredible read is the quality of Renee Knight’s prose. She paints such a convincing picture that I felt I was witnessing events with my own eyes. I was spellbound.

I can honestly say that if you don’t read ‘Disclaimer’ you will genuinely have missed out.