Helen hat sich als Fotografin einen Namen gemacht, weil sie mit ihrer Arbeit gezeigt hat, was die Menschen in Kriegsgebieten ertragen müssen. Sie wirkt auf andere Menschen stark, die Wirklichkeit aber sieht anders aus. Helen hat Schlimmes erlebt und wäre beinahe zu Tode gekommen. Nun hat sie sich in ein ziemlich heruntergekommenes und einsames Anwesen in Nordengland zurückgezogen. Sie will nicht gefunden werden, vor allem nicht von dem Menschen, der ihr am vertrautesten war und ihr Vertrauen schändlich missbraucht hat. Aber auch vor ihren Erinnerungen ist sie auf der Flucht. Aber nichts lässt sich auf immer und ewig verdrängen. Sie wollte sich ganz zurückziehen, aber die Bewohner des kleinen Dorfes sind an allem interessiert und natürlich besonders an ihr.
Der Schreibstil ist recht nüchtern, aber flüssig zu lesen. Ich habe mich anfangs schwer getan mit diesem Buch, denn anfangs zog sich die Geschichte ziemlich zäh es hat sehr lange gebraucht, bis sie Fahrt aufnahm.
Zunächst lernen wir die beteiligten Personen kennen. Über Helen erfährt man, dass in ihrer Pariser Wohnung ein Brand ausgebrochen ist. Wie es den Anschein hat, kam jemand dabei zu Tode. Aber was genau geschehen ist, bleibt zunächst im Dunkeln. Helen hat Probleme mit dem, was in der Vergangenheit geschehen ist. Ich fand es bedauerlich, was mit ihr geschehen ist, aber dennoch konnte ich nicht mit ihr fühlen. Sie war mir einfach nicht sympathisch und kam mir daher nicht nahe. Auch die Dorfbewohner lernen wir kennen, vor allem Gil Markham. Inzwischen ist er im Ruhestand, aber dennoch kann er nicht verleugnen, dass er ein guter und engagierter Journalist gewesen ist. Langweile treibt ihn dazu, Recherchen anzustellen. Er erkennt sehr bald, was Helen so gerne unter der Decke halten möchte. Massiv wirkt er auf Helen ein, damit sie ihm ihre Geschichte erzählt. Auch über Helens Mann erfahren wir sehr viel. Erst war er Kollege, dann ihr Mann, der es nicht ertragen konnte, dass seine Karriere den Bach runter ging, während Helen erfolgreicher wurde. Er quält Helen, während er nach außen den liebevollen Ehemann gibt.
Helens Flashbacks bringen immer weitere Details aus ihrer Vergangenheit zum Vorschein und damit wurde klar, was geschehen ist und wohin es am Ende führen wird. Es muss Schreckliches geschehen sein, damit aus Helen eine schwer traumatisierte Frau wurde. Dann kam Spannung auf und endlich konnte mich die Geschichte packen. Während am Anfang alles ziemlich ruhig, manchmal sogar zäh, verlief, ging es am Ende ein wenig schnell.
Eine interessante psychologische Geschichte. ( )

This fast-paced thriller includes a number of themes including the effects of war, domestic abuse, living in a small village, loneliness and internet security. Helen arrives as the new tenant at Wildfell Hall, yes this novel is inspired by Anne Brontes novel. She tells her story to Gil, a local retired journalist, trying to piece together the missing parts and her story is revealed to the reader. A gripping and interesting read. ( )

Inspired by Anne Bronte's The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, this novel is set in contemporary England. Photographer Helen Graham rents a run down house in a village where she hopes she can remain isolated and anonymous. Gilbert Markham, a recently retired journalist, is intrigued by the stranger in his village and begins to unravel her mysterious past.
As I hadn't previously read Bronte's novel, I would not have realised this book was a similar story retold for a different era. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall deals with the issues of alcoholism and abuse. Published in 1848, this novel was a remarkable achievement considering it addressed such taboo subjects. Long-winded, verbose and exceptionally long sentences- it was certainly a challenge to read. However, I'm glad that I made the effort and can now appreciate the cleverness of Baker's modern day spin on the tale. ( )

The Woman Who Ran – A Psychological Thriller That Keeps You Guessing

Sam Baker’s The Woman Who Ran is a breathtaking psychological thriller that will keep you guessing from page one to the end. This is an excellent thriller about a woman with severe memory loss, who cannot remember much but knows that if she does not run something will happen to her. The story is about a woman who has to come to terms with her past, to be able to deal with her present and future situation.

Helen is unable to remember why she was in a burning apartment in Paris, who the body was, and how she ended up back in England. Everything is a blank, she is suffering from migraines and winds up on the Yorkshire Moors in Wildfell Hall all alone, and with a psychotic cat she calls Ghost. She does not know why but she knows she needs to keep quiet about who she is and if she could remember who she is running from.

Gil has been ‘retired’ from the newspaper where he has been a journalist for more years than he cares to remember. He lives in the country village where he grew up, where everybody knows your business, and he cannot really get in to the retired life, other than drinking, smoking and reading a book.

There is something about Helen that draws Gil in, his journalist instinct kicks in and he wants to know who she is and what she is hiding from. He slowly pieces together the who she is and with Helen’s own words why she is at Wildfell Hall. As they both dig deep, people are talking whether it is too much, who really knows? Helen cannot help feel that she is being watched not just by the village but someone else. Her only way to deal with things is to run over the moors, see if it clears her mind and can relax her.

The book has a fair pace about it as the story moves on and more of the story of Paris is recovered from Helen’s memory. The more of her past that comes back to her the more she realises that she could also be in a great deal of danger, which leads to the book’s shattering conclusion. It will take your breath away, as you see it all through the eyes of Helen and Gil.

The Woman Who Ran is an excellent psychological thriller that will grip you from the first page to the last, and will leave you breathless at the relentless pace. It is clear that a journalist has written this book as the journalist here is a kind, ‘honest’ guy, which would be a first, but he works well in the story. A great book for all those that a love Psychological Thriller. ( )

Helen Graham has come to live at Wildfell House, a dilapidated and huge house in a small village in the Yorkshire Dales. She's seen as a mysterious person by gossips in the village and is keen to keep it that way but Gilbert Markham, a recently retired journalist, is very interested in her and her story.

There's a very clear nod to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall here, in both storyline and characters. I do wonder if trying to fit a story around another one actually hindered the author a little too much. Mostly this was a book that kept me turning the pages and it's an easy read in that respect, but it did lack something for me. There was very little suspense, yet there should have been quite a lot. There are a lot better psychological thrillers out there but nevertheless it was a reasonable read. ( )