The Writing Retreat is a wonderfully deranged page-turning psychological thriller with horror, supernatural and sexual elements tantalizingly sprinkled in throughout. Suspenseful, haunting and enslaving, it gripped me early like a demonic possession and refused to let go until the final page – and figurative exorcism – were concluded.
Alex is having a rough go of things. Her job is unfulfilling, she’s battling a long bout of writer’s block and she’s having trouble getting over her best friend severing their relationship. But things seem to be looking up when she is given an opportunity of a lifetime to join a writing retreat run by her literary hero, Roza Vallo. Jumping on the opportunity, she arrives at Roza’s estate where she will work with and live alongside with 4 other women – including her ex-best friend Wren – as they all compete to win a million-dollar publishing deal. However, this writing retreat is anything but normal. Roza plays weird games with the women, Wren is messing with Alex’s head, strange things occur on the estate and then one of the writers goes missing. Sensing malevolent forces at play, Alex goes on the offensive to figure out what’s happening. But she may have bitten off more than she can chew and by the time she realizes what she’s up against, it might be too late.
It’s a bold move to write a novel about…writing a novel. But it works exceedingly well in The Writing Retreat because of the character-driven nature of the story. Yes, there are parts of this book that highlight the writing process and excerpts from the book that Alex is writing (which are well done to move the story forward). But the focus of the book is on the relationships between various characters. Alex and Wren’s complicated backstory and the uneasy state of their present proximity provide a good deal of captivating drama, but it doesn’t end there. Putting 5 women in close quarters, having them compete against one another for a publishing deal and the admiration of their god-like hero Roza, and having Roza’s “process” for the writers be anything but conventional, ensures there’s never a dull moment and propels the story forward with various subplots, relationship theatrics, jealous moments and desperate situations. Add in hidden agendas, dangerous secrets, terrorizing actions and a sexual encounter with a supernatural being and you get a novel that is as unique as it is entrancing.
I promise that you’ve never read anything quite like The Writing Retreat. It’s got me shook in the best of ways. Julia Bartz’s debut novel is incredibly well done and one that I won’t soon forget.
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Barrington Books
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