Minnie's Fiction Addiction

👀 First impressions:
The Quiet Tenant is a psychological thriller centred on a serial killer and the women caught in his orbit, told through multiple perspectives including a woman held captive in his shed and his unsuspecting daughter. The premise is immediately unsettling and clearly inspired by real life cases, tapping into the true crime fascination that has been everywhere in recent years. From the opening chapters, the tone is cold and restrained, setting expectations for a slow burn rather than a high octane thriller.

✅ What I Liked:
The concept is strong and disturbing in a way that feels grounded rather than sensationalised. Michallon handles the subject matter with restraint, focusing more on the emotional impact of captivity and complicity than on graphic detail. I appreciated the choice to centre women’s voices, particularly the quiet horror of endurance and survival rather than dramatic escape fantasies. The writing itself is controlled and measured, which suits the bleak subject matter.

❎ What I didn’t Like:
For all its promise, the novel felt emotionally distant. I struggled to fully connect with the characters, especially given how intense their situations were meant to be. The pacing is very slow and at times it felt like the story was circling the same emotional beats without moving forward. While the understated approach will work for some readers, I found it muted the tension, leaving moments that should have been gripping feeling oddly flat.

📚 Why You Should Read This Book:
If you enjoy psychological thrillers that lean more towards literary fiction and character study than plot twists, this could be a good fit. Readers who like quiet, unsettling atmospheres and are interested in narratives about control, silence, and survival will likely appreciate what this book is trying to do.

💭 Final Thoughts:
The Quiet Tenant is a solid but restrained debut that never quite reaches the emotional or psychological depth it hints at. It is thoughtful and unsettling in theory, but in practice it feels held back, as though it is afraid to fully explore its own darkness. I admired the intention more than I enjoyed the execution.

🛍️ Where to buy
To buy your own copy click HERE and HERE

Final Rating ★★★ – A promising and unsettling idea that ultimately feels too quiet to truly haunt.