The Chalk Man is a thriller novel that follows the life of a young boy and his friends as they use chalk to communicate which links to a series of tragic events. Now older we see how all characters have moved on (or not) from these events and how a letter received featuring a chalk man brings it all back. Will they ever know what really happened all those years ago?
I really enjoyed this book as it was much more focused on being psychological thriller than on the actual crimes committed which I liked. It showed a different dimension to the events and how everything unfolded. It did also feature the crimes and events that happened however it wasn’t focused on a police or investigative point of view and on the people that they effected. There are some slightly gruesome descriptions and scenes however I always feel as though this allows the reader to gauge how bad the event was and to understand what the characters have been through.
I thought that the characters were realistic and thought that the use of two different time periods helped as it showed how he was as a boy and who he is now after growing up and moving on. It also shows the realistic aspect of friendship at a young age, naturally friends drift as they grow older and that didn’t change for these characters despite what they had been through together. They all had been effected in different ways and I feel as though this also added realism.
I also really enjoyed the structure of the book and it helped me to grasp the story line much quicker. The use of two different time periods using separate chapters for ease made it much more simple to follow along. Each chapter was titled by the year the chapter is set in to also diffuse confusing. I did originally think that the story may be lost by readers trying to catch up on what part of the characters lives they are reading however CJ Tudor has written it in a seamless way. I enjoyed they way this was written as well as the structure as I felt as though I was really involved in what was happening and that I was reading a book written by a character rather than the office.
I would recommend this book to anyone as it is a good book if you want to get into psychological thrillers as it is a mix of both mental and physical events. I would also like to read more or this authors books in the future as her writing style is something that engaged me in the story. Considering this is her debut novel!
Many thanks, Caitlin x
(PS please comment if you have ever read this book or have any psychological thriller recommendations)
Read and Drink Tea 