The
Keeper by
Jessica Moor is a very compelling story. This story is part
literary fiction and part police procedural that explores
coercive control, domestic violence, and how a woman can have
her identity gradually eroded. It is very relevant today because
statistics are showing that with the lockdown due to the Corona
Virus, domestic violence is on the upswing.
“My previous job was to secure funding for women’s
shelters. I read all the government policy documents and domestic
violence reviews that discussed women getting killed or beaten
up. One of my co-workers who I sat next to had the job to
review every domestic homicide that happened in the UK. She
would sigh and be saddened because men get away with it. In
the UK, two women per week are killed by domestic violence,
and in the US, it is five per week. I hope this story can
make readers understand these shocking statistics.”
Readers first meet Katie Shaw as she is lying on a slab. The
mystery begins with the police questioning whether it was
suicide or murder, and if so, who is the killer? The reason
DS Whitworth and DC Brook look at it more closely is that
the occupants at Women's Aid, a refuge center where Katie
worked, strongly believe that someone was responsible for
her death.
“I tried to put in the story how those that kill are
doing it to reassert control. There are five major forms:
Physical, emotional, psychological, financial, and sexual.
I tried to cover them all without it becoming a box-checking
exercise. A lot of men grow up with the idea that violence
is a solution.”
In an alternating narrative, Katie relates the deterioration
of her relationship with boyfriend Jamie, who’s initially
indulgent, overprotective, and then becomes isolating, controlling,
and manipulative. Jamie appears to be a personable and charming
man, but he became a monster, with the relationship sliding
from romance to abuse. Through Katie’s eyes, Moor shows
how an intelligent, resourceful woman could become trapped
in an abusive relationship. The story showed how easy it is
to be manipulated, no matter how smart. Her life morphed into
one of terror, leaving Katie devoid of psychological strength,
frightened, and experiencing physical/emotional abuse.
“I wrote Katie as bright, educated, middle class, with
no unusual problems. But then she ends up in a controlling,
possessive relationship. She is quiet, but not unusually so
and does lack a bit of self-confidence. At first, Jamie is
very normal and totally lacks imagination. Sometimes Katie
perceives that the lack of imagination is good for her. But
then he becomes judgmental, jealous, and controlling. He does
think he owns her. Although he is not Machiavellian, he does
have a perceived idea of what people should be like. This
is how Jamie perceives the world. I do not think he has a
lot of respect for women.”
Readers take a journey with the character as they want to
desperately help Katie out. This is a powerful debut from
Jessica Moor, looking at the tragic, secretive, and harrowing
complex world of domestic violence. The author builds up the
tension well and successfully gives women of domestic violence
a voice.
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