The Good Girl, Mary Kubica
Rating: 9/10
Publishing: Mira
ISBN: 978-0-7783-1776-0
Copyright: (C) 2014 by Mary Kyrychenko
This is the first novel I have read written by Mary Kubica and my second time reading it. I thought it would be something similar to “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, but it’s not. Unlike “Gone Girl,” which I do not like, “The Good Girl” has the right amount of suspense, thrills, and twists that did shock me.
It began when the protagonist, Mia Dennett, was being stalked by a stranger, Colin Thatcher. Colin went as far as finding where she lived, where she bought her groceries, and even her birthday, which is on Halloween. One night, Mia was supposed to meet her boyfriend at a bar, but he stood her up. Frustrated that her boyfriend never appeared, Mia meets Colin, who has been oblivious about him stalking her, and together, they have drinks. Colin decided to bring Mia to his apartment… and that’s when the suspense comes.
It is revealed that Colin was hired to bring Mia to someone else for ransom for money from her father, Judge James Dennett. When Colin and Mia were in Colin’s apartment, Colin held Mia by gunpoint and kidnaps her. Colin was about to take Mia to the man who hired him to bring her to him alive; however, things have changed when Colin decided to hold Mia in captivity by taking her to his summer cabin in Minnesota.
From the beginning, Mia never knew Colin’s real name because Colin has been telling her that his name is Owen as an alias. During the kidnapping, Colin has been aware that Mia’s disappearance would end up on the news, so he forced her to change her name. Mia chose the name Chloe and she reluctantly goes along with it. When they get to the cabin, Colin told Mia why he did that. Colin mentioned to her about his plan to bring her to the man named Dalmar for ransom, but he was afraid of the damage that Dalmar might bring to Mia. Colin told Mia that he brought her to safety in an isolated cabin where no one can ever find them. As days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months, Colin and Mia slowly developed a bonding with one another.
As I read this novel, I realized that Colin Thatcher is more of an anti-hero. He showed some personalities that made people hate him, though at the same time feel sympathetic for him. It is revealed that Colin grew up poor with his mother when his father left him. As he dropped out of school to support himself and his mother by taking multiple odd jobs, Colin’s mother is diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, which made his life even harder. Colin’s only option for more money was to kidnap Mia for Dalmar and only Mia because she happens to be the daughter of the judge. Aside from living in poverty, Colin has a history of getting into trouble with the law.
Colin’s anti-heroism made me unsure of which side I should choose. I didn’t know if I should hate him or to feel sorry for him. But hey, that’s the point of anti-heroism in literature. You’re supposed to have mixed feelings for the anti-heroes and decide for yourself.
As for Mia, I noticed that she has been developing an irrational relationship with Colin. I knew right away that she’s suffering from Stockholm syndrome, a psychological condition when the captured feeling a significant bonding with their captor. Colin has been providing fire and clothes for warmth and food to feed himself and Mia, all while hiding in the cabin and using their aliases to prevent themselves from being captured from the police and media.
To be honest, this is the very first novel I have read that mentions Stockholm syndrome. I even know the history of this condition. When I first learned about Stockholm syndrome, I find it very interesting how the victims would feel so much compassion for their captors, irrational or not. I wanted to read and watch, and even write, anything that involved Stockholm syndrome. I find it an interesting topic. The author, Mary Kubica, described this so phenomenally in “The Good Girl.”
What I love about this story is that during the hostage in the cabin, Mia found a stray cat and decided to keep him, even though Colin hates cats. I was offended when Colin said something about shooting the cat if it causes trouble. As a cat-lover myself, I do not tolerate people abusing or killing cats just because they hate them. But that’s just me. I just love the bonding between Mia and the cat; she fed her share of food to him and that is so cute and loving. <3
I have no words to describe Mia. I found out that she was once a delinquent in her teenage years and her father, James, went into extremes to bribe the media to not expose her delinquency. I even found out that James never favored Mia because she didn’t want to go to law school, like him and her sister, Grace. Mia’s preference in her career is art and she ended up as an art teacher at a high school. I also found out that Mia’s mother, Eve, has been often criticized by James and he was barely home. Eve supports Mia for her passion for art, but James… he is such a hothead! Kubica didn’t mention much about James and Eve’s relationship when they had Grace and Mia. I took a hint and it’s possible that their relationship was mentally abusive. James even showed that he never wanted to have kids in the first place, which was the reason why he had been distant from Eve. I can tell that James only cares about his reputation as the judge and not his own family. That proves to the audience that he is the most hated character in the novel.
Detective Gabe is one of the main characters we should feel proud of. In his perspective, Gabe has been showing more devotion to Eve than James. Gabe would go as far as traveling a thousand miles just to find Mia for Eve. He succeeds. After when Mia, who was still in shock from losing Colin, was found, Gabe decided to always be there for the Dennett family and help Mia regain her memories from the incident. Gabe even supported Eve for filing a divorce when she found something sinister about James.
That’s all I can give about “The Good Girl.” It is a great read. It is very vivid and suspenseful. There are even characteristics that make you decide which side to choose.
Overall, I love this book. I would read it the third time if I had the chance. I will look more into Mary Kubica’s works.