The Intruder

by Freida McFadden ★★★★☆

My first and only Freida McFadden book prior to The Intruder was The Boyfriend, a book I found entertaining but also overly contrived. It tried so hard to misdirect the reader that the most shocking twist would have been if there wasn't one. McFadden has made millions hooking readers with that approach, and wouldn't you know it, here I am coming back for more, but not necessarily because I enjoyed her style. Instead, it was because The Intruder popped up on Amazon's Top 100 Books of the Year, and it didn't just make the list...it finished #6! Make no mistake, McFadden has legions of fans. However, in the same way comic book movies are rarely nominated for Academy Awards, McFadden's books are generally pigeon-holed into the unserious realm of pop culture bestsellers that lack the gravitas to be considered among the elite each year. Had McFadden written something truly great, that even discerning critics would get behind? I had to find out.

The story opens in the "Present", with Casey Carter, a former teacher seeking solitude and hiding from a troubled past living in a remote cabin in the New Hampshire woods. As a massive storm approaches, Casey begins preparing to ride it out alone. When she goes to the shed on the property to collect supplies, Casey is startled to find a young girl, about twelve years old, clutching a knife and covered in blood. The girl is silent and defensive, but Casey's background as a teacher helps her lure the girl inside where she starts to coax her out of her shell. Casey also starts to realize she may have made a mistake when she invited this stranger, no matter how young, into her home, as the story starts to drift towards Misery territory and creepiness.

Interspersed with Casey's present-day dilemma are "Before" chapters, following the life of Ella. Ella is a middle-schooler living in extreme squalor with her mother, a severe hoarder who is emotionally and physically abusive. Is Ella the young girl Casey found in her toolshed? It would certainly seem so, but this is Freida McFadden, so one always expects a sneaky twist. But this is also a Freida McFadden who has earned Amazon's #6 book of the year ranking for this book, so maybe something's different this time?

While the first three-quarters of the book felt eerily similar to The Boyfriend, most notably the alternation between "Present" and "Before" chapters, the last quarter of The Intruder was significantly better. While it didn't rise to the level of the top books I read this year, it wasn't far away. McFadden stays true to herself—there's at least one twist—but she does so in a more mature way, where it feels less like an overly contrived attempt to surprise the reader and instead something that ties together some loose ends in a meaningful way. It's a significant step forward, in my opinion; McFadden has always had the ability to plot out an interesting yarn, and maybe—maybe—moving forward she's going to devote a bit less energy into the "shocking" reveal and a bit more into the completeness of the story. The Intruder is a great step in that direction. It's definitely a must-read if you're a Freida McFadden fan, but also just an above average thriller that is worth your time.