Title: The Things We Do To Our Friends
Author: Heather Darwent
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Penguin/Viking UK
Pages: 384
Release Date: 12 January 2023
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Hello fellow book lovers, today I'm back with a review for The Things We Do To Our Friends by Heather Darwent. A swift, hypnotically intense and atmospheric read that, although disturbing at times, had me utterly intrigued and unable to look away.
Synopsis
Clare arrives at the University of Edinburgh with a secret. This is her chance for a blank slate – to finally become who she was meant to be.
And then she meets Tabitha.
Tabitha is charismatic, beautiful and intimidatingly rich. Soon Clare is sucked into her enigmatic circle of friends and their dizzying world of champagne on rooftops and summers in France.
Her new life has begun.
Then Tabitha reveals the little project they're working on, a project they need Clare's help with. And Clare can't say no.
Because they know what she did . . .
Review
I was honestly surprised by how dark that opening chapter was and how strangely invested I became in finding out what exactly happened (and why.) In fact, a lot of the plot revolves around the mystery surrounding not only Clare’s backstory but the backstories of all her new friends. Particularly queen bee, Tabitha—whose saccharine sweet demeanour masks her chaotic and quite often self destructive tendencies—and an upbringing that's far from the glamorously breezy lifestyle Clare imagines.
It’s told exclusively from Clare’s perspective and navigates dual timelines as we jump between a present day Claire and the memories of her days at Edinburgh university in the mid-2000s.
With every page dripping in suspense, the slow-burn build up was torturously good and the tension that Heather Darwent manages to cultivate definitely had me on edge. And I have to say the themes explored (class and privilege, obsession, toxic friendships and revenge) only add to the dark, seedy underbelly we catch glimpses of—behind the veneer of wealth and privilege that Tabitha, Ava, Imogen and Samuel wield so effortlessly.
Clare (our protagonist) was such an intriguing character, though her appeal has far less to do with charisma or any of the usual endearing qualities (which she doesn’t really have) but with the intensity of her focus, in this case the need to find the perfect friend group—one worthy of her time and the effort she puts into appearing 'normal'. I admired the small moments of honesty in we glimpse and despite how obsessive, callous or disconnected she became to the people around her, I genuinely liked her (and found myself rooting for her—in all her scheming unreliable narrator- style glory.
And the focus of Clare’s obsession: the glamorous and ruthlessly charismatic Tabitha was just as obsessively scheme-y and chaotic as our protagonist. Her saccharine sweetness towards Clare’s held a sinisterly, menacing undertone that I genuinely couldn’t look a what from no matter how much of a car crash I knew the implosion between them was going to be.
The group itself revolves primarily on the hierarchy that Tabitha dictates but, the drama and uncertainty that excites (and entices) Clare is what truly seems to make them all thrive and it’s this energy that inspires their unorthodox business which becomes the catalyst of all their problems.
It’s definitely a slow-burn type thriller, so if slower paced books aren’t your thing you make struggle with this one, but the build up is absolutely intoxicating and I really enjoyed the thrill of trying to guess what was gonna happen next.
Given some of the darker themes and subject material (such as violence,murder, suicide, sexual harassment & sexual assault) I’d definitely recommend looking into the TWs beforehand.
Overall a decadently dark and compulsively menacing mystery/thriller that will appeal to fans of the toxic friend trope or Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.
Also a huge thank you to Viking Books UK for the proof.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
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