Synopsis: The List tells the story of the damaging potential a seemingly innocuous list of names can hold. Found deliberately placed in the woods by 29-year-old Beth, this simple slip of paper contains five names with no clear connection, but the third name on this list is Beth’s. Already plagued by nightmares which are never too far from her mind, this list turns Beth’s nightmares into a reality as she scrambles to learn who the other names on this list are and why her name is on there before she runs out of time.

As well as Beth’s perspective, the story gives the perspective of two others – 12-year-old Ruby who is struggling to talk about an event that has resulted in her ending up in an institution, and an unidentified narrator who is author of the list of names that threatens to wreck the perfect life Beth has made for herself.

Following these three characters, The List explores the pressure and paranoia that can come from attempting to outrun your past. Each character is fixated on a certain event that has greatly impacted their life and, no matter how hard they try, they are unable to separate this event from the direction they want their life to take.

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Review: The book starts with a quote from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein “when falsehood can look so like the truth, who can assure themselves of certain happiness” which effectively sums up the entire premise of the story. In Beth’s life, the lines between truth and lies are blurred and, within the book, even when you think you have figured out the truth, the story moves in an unexpected direction.

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