BOOK REVIEW: Violet by SJI Holliday.

Title: Violet
Author: SJI Holliday
Publisher: Orenda Books

SJI (or Susi) Holliday is a Scottish author born in East Lothian. She was always a huge fan of crime and horror stories and it is no surprise that this was the genre she entered as a writer. Initially being known for her short stories but has more recently been quite prolific in producing thrillers such as "Black Wood", "Willow Walk" and "The Damselfly".

Her latest venture is “Violet”, another thriller this time set on the Trans-Siberian Express. The plot revolves around Carrie – her friend has an accident and can no longer make the round-the-world trip that they had planned. Carrie decides to make the trip without her friend.

Violet is a stranger to Carrie but is also travelling alone, having recently split with her long term boyfriend in Thailand. They meet by chance in a Beijing hotel and Carrie makes an impulsive decision to offer Violet her friend’s ticket on the Trans-Siberian Express. In a very small cramped cabin the two women becomes friends very quickly but things soon turn toxic when one of the women turns out to be not who she claims to be. It is a tale of obsession and manipulation with all of the twists and turns to keep you interested throughout.

From the start “Violet” grabs your interest and it is a book that is hard to put down, there is tension and suspense throughout and plot twists aplenty. In fact this is probably my only criticism of the book, there are many twists and turns and in parts I think Holliday could delay the next one until your brain has processed the last – this is a minor criticism though as I enjoyed the book very much,
As the name suggests, the book is essentially told from Violet’s perspective rather than Carrie – I did enjoy the occasional jumps into Carrie’s world as this kept things fast moving and made me question how the plot would play out.

Both Carrie and Violet are both highly intriguing characters, each with a past that makes you question just who is telling the truth and who is in the most danger. Both characters are not people that many will associate with, nor will they pick a character to identify with but this simply enhances the book for me as it moves away from what you might have come to expect in this genre.

Holliday is able to bring many of the places to life that the duo visit, describing stark contrasts from the city life of Beijing to the more relaxed and serine areas of Mongolia, as well as the former exile for Russians that is Irkutsk. This is an important part of the plot throughout.

The writing style of Holliday may not be to everyone’s taste – the sentences are short and punchy and considering how dark the storyline is there is still time for some wit and humour in places. A good number of modern novels are written in this way and I really enjoy the style.

“Violet” is a dark thriller where you, as the reader, are manipulated by the author. This is possibly the highest compliment I could pay Holliday as she completely hooked me in and even several days later I was questioning myself on how it ended and what possibilities there were. The ending is abrupt but this simply added to my intrigue. Overall it was a really enjoyable read and my first with the author – I will be seeking out her previous novels and I understand she has plans for another two later this year.
Reviewer - John Fish
on - 6/5/20