SHADOWDAYS

A nurse, seeking revenge against those who have wronged her, may be slowly losing her mind in this psychological thriller.

Three years ago, Melissa Sweet’s devastating mistake at a Birmingham, Alabama, hospital cost a life and ended her nursing career. Now, she’s back in North Carolina, where her mother and her brother, Noah, live. Though she blames herself for the death that relentlessly haunts her, Melissa struggles to move on. She’s on the right track, in the arms of a softhearted, charming fiance and with a new job at a methadone clinic lined up. Then tragedy strikes, as masked men suddenly introduce violence into her world. In the days that follow, she’s an understandable wreck, likely suffering from PTSD, until Melissa happens upon one assailant’s identity. This ignites her thirst for vengeance, as she hunts down this man and his cohorts, armed with resilience and whatever weapon she can find. But as she metes out her punishment, Melissa may be cracking up—she’s hearing voices and losing her sense of reality. Her increasingly ruthless search, meanwhile, pushes her to a truth she surely doesn’t want to know. Schattel’s novel, which began as a screenplay, runs full tilt. The story moves from scene to scene with glorious transitions, from crashing thunder to voices that wake up a blacked-out Melissa. A convincing backstory (which includes Noah’s history of schizophrenia) along with stunning descriptive passages elevate this tale of apparent mental collapse. For example, the author equates Melissa’s unstable state to being underwater—“everything in dreamy half-motion and submerged by cold rolling waves of shock.” Some readers will guess later plot turns, though that doesn’t dampen their impact on this unforgettably grim tale. Notwithstanding brutal acts on display, the story isn’t as violent as some readers will anticipate. Melissa remains a sympathetic hero whose sincerity, regardless of what unfolds, never dissipates.

An exhilarating, sorrowful, and terrifying descent into retribution and possible madness.