Greenwich Park
Finished: February 2024
Book Source: Library
Book Publishing Date: January 2022
Helen’s idyllic life—handsome architect husband, gorgeous Victorian house, and cherished baby on the way (after years of trying)—begins to change the day she attends her first prenatal class and meets Rachel, an unpredictable single mother-to-be. Rachel doesn’t seem very maternal: she smokes, drinks, and professes little interest in parenthood. Still, Helen is drawn to her. Maybe Rachel just needs a friend. And to be honest, Helen’s a bit lonely herself. At least Rachel is fun to be with. She makes Helen laugh, invites her confidences, and distracts her from her fears.
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.
Trigger Warnings:
Murder, Miscarriages, Drug Use, Drugging of pregnant woman, Roofies, Rape
Characters
- Helen – pregnant woman
- Daniel – Helen’s husband
- Rory – Helen’s brother, works at an architecture firm with Daniel
- Serena – Rory’s wife, also pregnant and due close to Helen
- Charlie – Helen’s brother
- Kate – Friend of Helen’s, used to date Charlie
- Rachel – Helen meets her at her prenatal class, she’s also due around the same time
My Review
This book jumps into multiple characters points of view – intertwining narratives of three distinct women, weaving a complex web of secrets and lies. It offers a rollercoaster ride of twists and turns with these seemingly unreliable narrators weaving through its intricate plot. At first, the story may seem slow to unfold, but as the “friendship” between Helen and Rachel starts to pick up, so does the intensity of the narrative.
Helen’s naivety may test the patience of some readers, but Kate’s character shines as a beacon of strength and complexity – I wish she could have been more of a presence throughout the book.
The strength of the novel lies in its complexity, with layers of deception gradually peeled away to reveal shocking truths. The resolution feels somewhat rushed, though, as if the intricacies of the plot were suddenly spelled out in the final chapters as letters, etc.
Despite this, Faulkner’s storytelling keeps the reader engaged throughout, and the evolving dynamics between the characters add depth to the narrative. Overall, it was a decently gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Check your trigger warnings on this one… especially if you have any issues with pregnant/miscarriage, etc.
Spoilers/Summary
Katie gets an interview with the rape victim… and it all is starting to seem like the case from when they were younger.
Who is Rachel? There was a rape case when the group was younger. Daniel and Serena were having an affair and had stolen a boat and witnessed the rape. The victim of that case ended up being a 15 year old Rachel. She saw Daniel and Serena were there and they were denied it because they didn’t want their affair to come out. Rachel’s attackers were found not guilty.
Was Rachel actually pregnant? Although she had had sex with Charlie in a timeline that would fit – she was not actually pregnant
How did Rachel find them? Rachel recognized Daniel and Serena when they came into the club. She ended up finding Helen’s post on Facebook that tagged them in the prenatal classes. Rachel pretended to be pregnant and showed up at the class expecting to confront Serena and Daniel, but deciding to befriend Helen and get in with the group another way
Who killed Rachel? Serena was the one that actually killed Rachel. She then got Daniel and Rory to help her hide the body under the cement in the cellar. Daniel’s letter confessed to it to protect Serena and the baby – that was actually his baby. Serena drugged Helen that night with benzos (and many other times with tea, etc) so she wouldn’t remember what happened or who she saw… which also seems to have impacted the Helen’s baby 🙁 sad
Does Serena get away? Gosh I thought she would… but so glad the last few sentences of the book seem to suggest otherwise when a cop (assuming the one that Katie had been close with?) catches up up with her overseas
What else? Daniel had been stealing from the company and had taken out a sketchy reverse mortgage on the house for 3.6 million dollars to do ‘renovations’. Helen kept wondering what was taking so long, but Daniel had stopped paying the builders. Daniel was also using a lot of money to pay off Rachel to keep her quiet about the incident when they were younger so their money was running out a lot faster. He had also actually put some money into the house so they didn’t have as much saved up for him and Serena to run away. They were supposed to run away when Helen went into labor, but he decided to stay and have a confrontation instead and ends up arrested. The passport that was stolen with Helen’s face cut out was actually done by Serena for their plan to get away.