I’m already ten books deep into my Goodreads 2019 Reading Challenge, and my latest book really captivated me. It was a psychological thriller (which I have been into lately) that consumed my mind for the week that it took to read. This is the second book I’ve read by Greer Hendricks (The Wife Between Us was the first) and it did not disappoint. This book was written with Sarah Pekkanen, and I’ve included a summary of the novel by John Valeri from Criminal Element. I’ve also answered the book club questions developed by the authors, so there are some spoilers below if you plan to read the book. If you’ve read it already, please let me know what you think!
As the story begins, readers are introduced to 28-year-old Jessica (“Jess”) Farris, a struggling makeup artist living in New York City. Despite dreams of working behind-the-scenes on Broadway, she’s taken on private consultation through a reputable agency; the jobs are more predictable and profitable. Still, living in the city is expensive—and she’s got the added burden of secretly contributing to her disabled sister’s monetary expenses for therapy to treat a traumatic brain injury. So when Jess learns of a lucrative study being done by an esteemed psychiatrist, she manipulates her way into becoming a participant, the irony here being that the subject of said study is ethics and morality.
Enter Dr. Lydia Shield, the stylish, sophisticated psychiatrist overseeing this study. While Jess’s initial communications with her are via a laptop computer in an otherwise empty NYU classroom, the doctor soon invites her test subject—whose candid responses and self-awareness strike an immediate chord—to participate in situational social experiments at a greater rate of compensation. Though hesitant, Jess agrees to expand her role, hoping the money will help to alleviate her family’s struggles. Dr. Shield initially serves as both a confidante and role model of sorts, though the ever-intensifying role-playing scenarios she orchestrates—including directives to flirt with specified men—become a cause for concern. A startling discovery about a former subject makes Jess’s extrication nearly impossible, as does her level of involvement.
Chapters alternate between Jess’s first-person narration and Dr. Shield’s second-person telling—a clever strategy that mirrors the (supposed) dynamic of the doctor-patient relationship while also revealing myriad ethical and moral transgressions on both characters’ parts. Clearly, a game of cat-and-mouse is afoot; while Jess proves to be a surprisingly adept adversary, the cunning Dr. Shield consistently manages to stay one step ahead. But the addition of third party results in an element of unpredictability that leaves both women increasingly doubtful and desperate. Consequently, the psychological warfare reaches breathtaking proportions as the authors lob a few third act bombshells, some of which are merely surprising while others reverberate with shock waves.
1. If you were in Jess’s shoes, would you have snuck into Dr. Shields’s morality and ethics survey? Why or why not? After the questions started to become more invasive, do you think you would have continued answering them, or looked for a way out?
Feeling the burden of supporting a disabled sister (especially since she believed that the disability was due to her negligence) and maintaining a suitable lifestyle in New York City as a freelance makeup artist, I probably would have snuck into Dr. Shields’s survey as well. After the questions became more evasive, I would have continued the initial session, then found a way to end the survey since I wasn’t initially selected in the first place.
2. What did you think of the authors’ decision to use the second person “you” in Dr. Shields’s chapters? How did it affect your experience of reading the novel? Did it change your perception of any of the characters, especially Dr. Shields’s?
The author’s use of the second person “you” was brilliant in my opinion. It took me a few chapters to realize which character the author was referencing, who was speaking, and why it was formatted that way, but it added to the format of the story. The use of the second person affected my experience of reading the novel because I was able to place myself in Dr. Shields’s shoes and view the other characters the same way she did. It also helped paint a vivid picture of Dr. Shields’s personality.
3. Early in the novel, Jess thinks, “Sometimes an impulsive decision can change the course of your life.” Do you agree? Have you ever made any impulsive decisions that dramatically affected your life? What were they?
I agree with Jess’s statement. Jess was supposed to watch her little sister until her parents returned. She left he sister home alone, and that decision changed the rest of their family’s lives forever. I can’t recall any impulsive decisions that have dramatically changed my life – but there have been decisions that have changed the course of my life.
4. On page 202, Jess asks, “How do you know if you can really trust someone?” What do you think—how do you know? Can you ever know? What about someone makes them seem “trustworthy” to you?
I think the feeling of trust comes from a gut feeling or a situational experience with the person. The more you start to feel comfortable with a person, the more you start to trust them, and if your life is in danger, or harm comes your way, and the other person instinctively protects you, then I believe trust is earned.
5. Do you think Dr. Shields truly had a good marriage or was it doomed from the beginning? Why do you believe this, and what about Dr. Shields informs your thoughts?
I believe Dr. Shields had a good marriage in the beginning, but after her husband’s infidelity, the trust was lost and never restored. Regaining the trust in their marriage turned into a sick experiment that turned fatal. Her husband also seemed to live in fear of Dr. Shields’s power of him, and her ability to manipulate others.
6. Did you have an idea of what had happened to Subject 5, or were you surprised? If you did suspect what occurred, can you point out what kind of foreshadowing or clues led you to this conclusion?
There was a suspicion that Subject 5 was no longer alive due to the way Dr. Shields and her husband referred to her in the text. I didn’t suspect an accidental overdose, but I did suspect that Dr. Shields arranged for her death to look like an accident after Dr. Shields’s controlling and manipulative personality was beginning to reveal itself.
7. What did you think of Dr. Shields’s morality and ethics questions? Did you find yourself answering them? Which question did you find the most challenging?
Dr. Shields’s questions were interesting – they became more personal as they progressed. It was almost as if she was looking for permission to move forward with getting revenge on her husband. I think the question about revenge being justified as a victim stuck a chord. In my opinion, it is not our duty to seek revenge. The other party will be dealt with by a higher power when the time is right. Karma is a bitch.
8. An Anonymous Girl explores the lies that link people together and the damage these deceptions can cause. Is it ever okay to tell a lie? When does a secret become a deception?
It’s never okay to lie – but I think it is okay to delay the truth in certain situations. If telling you that your shoes match your dress gets us out of the house in enough time to make an appointment; then yes, delayed truth is necessary. But if blatant lies are told when the truth is clear, then trust is inevitably lost, and the other person feels like they can’t be trusted with the truth if a lie is the first resort.
9. How much of a motivating factor was money for Jess? In your opinion, was the money Jess earned worth what she endured? Can trust ever really be bought?
Money was a huge motivating factor for Jess. She was constantly calculating her monthly budget figuring out how to make ends meet. I don’t think the money she earned was worth what she endured. Even though her family finally unpacked the burden of her sister’s disability, and she was able to take care of her family monetarily, she lost out on a stable relationship with Noah, lost her job, and briefly lost her sanity.
10. At the start of the novel, one of Dr. Shields’s questions to Jess was, “Do victims have a right to take retribution into their own hands?” How would Jess and Dr. Shields answer this question at the end of the book? How would you answer it?
Dr. Shields’s obviously believed that victims had the right to take retribution into their own hands after her twice fatal experiment. If her experiment with Jess hadn’t resulted in the way it did, I still believe she would have found another girl for the next experiment. She is a doctor of the mind, and it seems like she enjoyed the experiments as long as she was in control. The loss of control with Jess would have prompted her to tweak the next experiment until she received her desired results, no matter the outcome.
I don’t think Jess felt the same way after what she endured. When the theatre director sexually assaulted her, she never told anyone outside of Dr. Shields, and when he was finally exposed, she still kept the secret to herself. The only sign of her “seeking revenge” is her payout from Dr. Shields’s husband.
