The Ingenue: A Novel
Named a Best New Book of December 2022 by Buzzfeed · New York Post · PopSugar · PureWow · E! Online · Amazon
A People Best New Book: "A dark tale of revenge."
"Exceptional. This surprising, exhilarating suspense-filled tale of revenge and redemption is hard to put down." ––Publishers Weekly (starred review)
My Dark Vanessa meets The Queen's Gambit in this new novel of suspense about the bonds of family, the limits of talent, the risks of ambition, and the rewards of revenge.
When former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's sudden death, she expects to inherit the family estate, the Elf House. But with the discovery that her mother's will bequeathed the Elf House to a man that Saskia shares a complicated history with, she is forced to reexamine her own past––and the romantic relationship that changed the course of her life––for answers. Can she find a way to claim her heritage while keeping her secrets buried, or will the fallout from digging too deep destroy her?
Set against a post #MeToo landscape, Rachel Kapelke-Dale's The Ingenue delves into mother-daughter relationships, the expectations of talent, the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when the things that once made you special are taken from you. Moving between Saskia's childhood and the present day, this dark, contemporary fairy tale pulses with desire, longing, and uncertainty, as it builds to its spectacular, shocking climax.
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Community Reviews
The story itself made excellent use of flashbacks to slowly bring the conflict to its climax. I didn't find them overbearing; rather the flashes into younger Saskia helped to understand the present day woman. Rachel Kapelke-Dale writes characters and stories that are so realistic and painful and jarring but she never fails to lead us to a cathartic resolution.
This book drew me in and kept me intrigued from start to finish. It was an excellent tale with a slight thriller element and twists and turns throughout.
writing style is different, i think audiobook this time helped me push through
overall it was decently paced, interesting enough that i wanted to keep going and see what happens next but i also know if i read it physical copy i would have stopped at some point...the writing style just wasn't for me i'm not sure what it was though
some parts were repetitive, her friends didnt see her as a 'kid' but an 'adult', she didn't realize what the relationship with patrick was until later on, you're told a few times and that was annoying
slow build, multiple timeline (past and present)
i think the fairytales of little feminists should be an actual thing because the little snippets were SO good
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