BOOK — A Kind of Intimacy by Jenn Ashworth

A Kind of Intimacy is Jenn Ashworth’s debut novel, and what a debut it is; in fact I’m ready for the film rumours straight away. This is a thriller for people who don’t like thrillers; a psychological study for people who love fiction. As soon as you open this book, you are drawn into protagonist Annie’s lonely, empty world, and more worryingly (as she narrates her past misdemeanours with an equivocal voice), you are drawn into her mind. She moves into a new neighbourhood, and tries tragically to ingratiate herself with her new neighbours; particularly the couple who live next door. There is Lucy, the young girlfriend, in whom Annie is not interested; and Neil, the victim of Annie’s affection around whom the grisly events unfold.  This is a book that has you squirming in your seat saying “No, Annie, don’t do that, go and get help,” just like her friend the saintly neighbourhood watch officer would say over a cup of tea and jammie dodger. Brilliantly, trotting through painful housewarming parties and cringe-worthy encounters in the street, Jenn Ashworth’s gift for (very) black comedy shines through. We learn through vague confessional descriptions of Annie’s past just how she got to this point, via a young marriage, a possibly phantom baby (at first making it hard for the reader to know what to believe) and a seedy alter-ego that will have you wincing uncomfortably. It comes together in a grim, bloody climax and really shocks. Annie’s voice is horribly familiar – sometimes she says something you’ve heard before, or even said yourself. A gripping read. Please, read this book – you are absolutely missing out if not.

By Ray Morgan