Review: Thriller from “Therapy Room”

Amy Molloy wrote a thriller called The Therapy Room, the topic of which should not be revealed much. Otherwise, the suspense that this novel promises will inevitably be lost. Just so: There are so many twists and turns in this book that the reader is so surprised that they end up reading the introduction again at the end. And maybe the first chapter, too.

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All the secrets of a small town

Amy Molloy has her hero, psychotherapist Sam Statler, moving from New York to Chestnut Hill, in one of those typical small American towns. All because he wants to be close to his dementia-stricken mother. They have been a team since his father left the family for a little girl. In his practice, Dr. From now on, Statler is concerned with saving the souls of the small town residents, without realizing that each of his therapy sessions is being overheard. All the dirty secrets of the small town world are revealed – why divorce looms, for example, or the love life of a painter. But one day, shortly after a young Frenchwoman fell ill, Statler ended his clinic and disappeared as a storm broke out. Everyone, including his wife Annie, sets out to find him. Time passes quickly, and so does hope to find it.

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The author leaves the reader guessing

The author skillfully twists and turns the story, sometimes walking around this character, sometimes to it, revealing, but not so much, leaving the reader guessing. The tension builds, just a bit of buzzing so the story doesn’t explode too soon. He makes his way around that curve, sometimes around that and loses himself in seemingly small things that later on aren’t. Anyone who enjoys literary picture puzzles is sure not to be disappointed, nor will those who have a weak spot in psychology. It’s all in this exciting story.

Amy Molloy is a well-known non-fiction writer in America who made her successful fictional debut with her first suspense film Mother. She is at home in western Massachusetts with her husband and children. Her story was translated by Katharina Neumann, who also translated texts by Jojo Moyes, Anna McBarlin and Janine Cummins into German.

Aimee Molloy: The treatment room. Thrilling story, Raoult Taschenbusch Verlag, Hamburg, 2021, 333 pages, €14.