When I got to somewhere in the middle of this book, I felt this tightening in my chest, and I had to take a break to remind myself that “oh, it’s just fiction.” At certain times, I had to walk around and interact with people to break that imaginary world forming little by little in my mind. I think this gives it all away the kind of read The Inmate is.
Brooke Sullivan, a single parent and nurse practitioner, moves back to her childhood home with her only son(the result of an incident that happened 10 years ago). No company wants to hire her except that one last place: the men’s maximum security prison, desperately in need of a nurse.
At her new job, she has simple rules to follow. She has to treat all inmates with respect. She never has to form personal relationships with inmates or be too close to any prisoner. And she’s also never supposed to give personal information to patients.
But none of it matters because Brooke breaks the law before even starting her job, and nobody knows. She already has a connection with one of the inmates, Shane Nelson, a serial killer and the father of her ten-year-old kid. And interestingly, nobody also seems to know she was the reason why he landed in that hell in the first place. But you know who never forgets? The Inmate.
The book begins with Freida McFadden, the author, gradually making you think whatever she wants you to think. Actually, not just the beginning. From the very first page to the last. And the interesting thing? She doesn’t miss at all. She made me believe Brooke was the one going to prison, and then I later found out she was just there to work.
There’s no way I can continue this review without talking about the choice of words in this book. I’m impressed by the vocabulary. Freida chose the right words to describe everything perfectly. Not too much, not too little. Just right enough to make you keep your eyes on the prize: the end.
And the words were enough to help me make mental descriptions of the characters. At first I was rooting for Shane Nelson after the author made me think he was sweet and innocent. And then I realized, oh no! This man is a manipulative, narcissistic…. Wait, can I use "manipulative" and "narcissistic" together? Okay, I already did, so let me just get right to the bottom of this. I realized I made a huge mistake, and thankfully, I could u-turn my decision, so I did that confidently without thinking twice, knowing very well the monster Shane is.
Have I said the part where I couldn’t believe my eyes? The ending! It did shake me. A lot! And in a split second I felt really cold even though it everything was melting down from the heat of the day.
Would you believe me if I told you I began reading this at the beach and totally forgot I was at the beach? Yeah, it’s that book. The twists in the plot are insane! Insanely awesome! I love unexpected turns, but this threw me off. I think this is the kind of book I’ll read through a storm and probably not notice what’s going on in my surroundings because it’s so addictive and mentally engaging. I read this book in 24 hours because I couldn’t get enough. I’ll let it sit at a full 5/5. Read it!
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