"The Draft," by Catherine Ryan Howard: a devilishly perverse thriller

Polarissime

A virtuoso construction en abyme for this breathtaking thriller present on the lists of the most prestigious American awards ★★★★☆

By Julie Malaure

Published on July 26, 2025 at 1:30 p.m.

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Eve is a survivor. She was 12 years old when her family was murdered in their home by a serial killer nicknamed "The Draft." Jim has regrets: he should have killed her. The proof is that twenty years later, Eve publishes a book-investigation about her own story. What will she have discovered? Not his identity, since he is free, reading. But still, this story, his own, intrigues and fascinates him. Jim doesn't care about the interludes about the author's family - and neither do we. On the other hand, he really wants to skip the pages to learn more about the killer - him, and us too. The problem is that this reading awakens the killer's old demons, who suddenly feels "transparent," as if his wife, his daughter, saw in him "the real Jim" ... Jim, an open book, discovering himself in the book: here is a devilishly perverse construction en abyme, signed by an Irish woman, Catherine Ryan Howard, who has broken all records on her island and appeared on the lists of the most prestigious American awards.