The Golden Cage

Prolific writer of psychological thrillers, Camilla Lackberg is a new author for me. She might better have titled this book Revenge for it spends the first half of the book making the case for why the protagonist Faye so elaborately executes in the second half of the book.

We are constantly getting dark hints about Faye's upbringing in a small town as the daughter of a poor family. We learn her brother committed suicide, her mother is dead, and her father is in jail. She can't get out of town fast enough when her father goes to jail. She heads to the place she's always dreamed of, Stockholm, and proceeds to leave her past behind, or does she. She gets into the prestigious Stockholm School of Economics, where she excels. But when she meets and then marries her exact opposite, a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth, she drops out of school to support him and a friend in starting their own business. With Faye's excellent guidance, the business grows beyond their wildest imagining they become wealthy and then become parents of a daughter. But husband Jack becomes increasingly distant, shutting Faye out of all involvement with the business. And then she comes home unexpectedly to find him with another woman. In spite of her seminal role in the business's success, he cuts her off without a penny. 

You'll probably begin to guess how things turn out early on, but won't know the full extent of Faye's machinations until the very end. The Washington Post notes, "the lure of The Golden Cage lies in the moral ambiguity of its heroine..."  Reviewer Maureen Corrigan goes on to observe that Lackberg's prose, at least in translation, is not particularly elegant. And, in fact, I often found her writing, even of the sex scenes, boring. But you will certainly want to find out how Faye gets payback. The New York Times offers a favorable review with more detail about plot and character. Kirkus calls this "A deliciously inventive thriller brimming with sex, secrets, and scandal." And Publishers' Weekly gushes, "The poignant insights into women’s capacity for self-sacrifice, multidimensional characterizations, and celebration of female ingenuity will resonate with many. Läckberg reinforces her position as the thriller queen of Scandinavia." I wouldn't turn down another of her books if offered, but I wouldn't bother seeking one out either, so I guess that puts me in the minority.