Set primarily in 1968 Scarlet in Blue follows 15-year-old Blue and her artist mother Scarlet who have recently moved to a small lakefront town in Michigan after years on the run from “HIM”.
Blue has never seen the man her mother fears but has spent her entire life living in his shadow. Scarlet has brought them to this new town specifically to connect with a psychoanalyst named Henry in hopes of curing her trauma.
The story is told from the perspectives of Blue, Scarlet and Henry. It becomes clear pretty quickly Scarlet has sought out Henry for more that just psychoanalysis, though her motives aren’t transparent, nor is her mental state, though this isn’t what I’d consider a typical unreliable narrator story.
Author Jennifer Murphy has a background in art which she uses to add a really interesting layer to this story. I think the plot could have been tightened up a little bit, at close to 400 pages I felt the story ran a little long, but overall a solid psychological suspense thriller.
I’m surprised I’m not hearing more about this one. Though Scarlet in Blue is a very different book, and it should not be directly compared, the vibe reminded me quite a bit of The Silent Patient.
That Bookish Life 