The Last Mrs. Parrish: A Novel Review

The novel that can be classifiedas a psychological thriller and focuses on the themes of lying, manipulation, and the pursuit of the American dream. The book authored by the sisters Lynne and Valerie Constantine under the pen name Liv Constantine presents a novel that will make its readers sit on the edge of a seat throughout its length.

Plot Overview

The story revolves around two main characters: Amber Patterson and Daphne Parrish are two main characters of the novel. Amber is a woman with a dark history with several questionable decisions made in her life with a dream to get out of mediocrity. She very deliberately designs a strategy and scope under which she can insinuate herself into the life of the Parrish family, a wealthy couple who live in a brand-new house in the tony town of Bishops Harbor, Connecticut. Amber is attracted to the wealthy lifestyle and targets Jackson Parrish, Daphne’s husband.

Daphne Parrish for her part appears to be the luckiest woman in town; she is beautiful; rich and has the perfect look of a Hollywood actress, and she also has a perfect family. Yet, as the story progresses more and more episodes with the heroine’s supposedly happy life in England are shown and the flashbacks start uncovering the actual tendencies of Daphne towards brutality. Amber manipulates Daphne even deceiving her initially just to become her friend for she sees this as a way to be close to her target. Amber's goal is clear: to have Daphne killed so she could take over and be the new Mrs.Parrish.

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Themes and Characters

A major theme best illustrated in the novel is jealousy and the tendency of individuals to make immense sacrifices in order to get what they want. Amber developes obsession with the lifestyle of the Parrish family, which illustrates a moral of excessive desire for others’ possessions. Her schemes and ruthless deeds are clearly demonstrated by her, making a perfect example of the biting ambition unmoved by compassion.

Thus, Amber is an interesting and, at the same time, unattractive character. She is intelligent and persistent from the beginning as a typical villain who serves as a main antagonist. The authors do a remarkably good job of establishing her as a character, and gradually hinting at her reasons for doing what she’s doing and the abuse that she has suffered. This depth makes people feel pity for her personality even though she is a terrible person who did terrible things.

On the other hand, Daphne looks as if she is the best woman any man would want to spend the rest of his life with and the best mother any children would be glad to have. Unlike Amber, she is sweet-hearted lady who loves to help people, unlike the smart and cunning lady Amber. But as the plot unravels the reader understands that Daphne is anything but stupid, she is actually quite clever. It makes her more powerful and having more stamina to be in the field as a very notable figure, otherwise, she becomes more real as a movie character.

Jackson Parrish is presented as a typical rich husband, good looking, successful, and a lady’s man. But as the story changes the points of view, he has the second personality with aggressive characteristics. The authors paint a perfect picture of how he treats women well, but separately reveal the element of dominance in his interactions, which creates even more suspense.

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Writing Style and Structure

The plot of the novel is constructed into two major sections, with each section narrated from the point of perception of one of the novel’s principal female characters. The first part is written in the first person which is focused on the character, Amber giving the readers an insight to her mind. This section is tense because Amber’s storyline is revealed, and she tries to enter the Parrishes’ house.

The second part changes the point of view to Daphne, which makes it clearly different from the first part, which was told from Amber’s perspective. This change of point of view is necessary because it opens the audience’s eyes to some aspects of Daphne’s life and the real nature of her marriage with Jackson. The idea of presenting two parallel plots creates suspense and makes the readers involved into the story since they can distinguish the feelings and actions of the two heroines.

The language used in the writing is concise and vivid which adds to the richness of the atmosphere of the extravagant world and the characters of the book. The reflexes of the mystery are well built and the authors manage to provide tension, leaving readers uncertain of the real motives of the characters. There is a decent continuity of adrenaline rush periods and quite periods in the movie.

Psychological and Emotional Depth

The Last Mrs. Parrish has a strong focus on the development of the characters’ personalities and the exploration of the issues such as narcissism and psychological manipulation. The character, Jackson Parrish from the opera is a perfect representation of a narcissist; he is charming in front of others, but behind closed doors, he is an abusive husband. The authors do an excellent job of describing his abusive behavior that many people do not see and giving insight on issues that many people would not consider.

The transformation that takes place in this movie is about the discovery of the self and liberation of a woman. At the beginning she is presented as a submissive girl who gradually gains enough courage to fight the manipulation in her environment. Among the novel’s strong points is the change of the main female character from a rather humble and obedient girl into a bold and decisive woman. The authors keep her transformation realistic by showing the good and the bad of her change of heart and the struggles she has.

Psychologically”, Amber’s character, too, is developed. Due to her ability to manipulate people and no concern for the feelings of others, she is an example of an antihero. But, the authors do not fully explain her character; rather, they give the reader brief peeks into her past, which at least gives some idea why the woman is like she is. It complicates the novel and does not allow her to become a stereotype of a villain, which is nice for her.

Critique

Despite these, The Last Mrs. Parrish can be considered as a good read that meets several literary criteria, though not perfect. In certain aspects, certain readers may consider the book as somewhat stereotypical in many parts, specially the connotations of wealth and richness were depicted in many shades of cliché. Furthermore, some of them come across as overly familiar to modern readers with the interest in thrillers, yet, the author handles them rather good.

Some of the traits of Jackson Parrish are well-driven evil, but sometimes the audience can easily feel that he is just one-dimensional. An aspect that is central to the movie is his violent nature to his wife; however, more complexity in this character would have given the movie depth. However, it possible to note that these features, though questionable to a certain extent, are not large enough to overshadow the whole value of the novel.

Conclusion

The Last Mrs. Parrish is, indeed, a story of the wrong kind of ambition, treachery and the lengths some people go to get what they want. PSYCHO’S NOT A BOLT-HOLE BY LIV CONSTANTINE IS A STANDOUT PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER BECAUSE CONSTANTINE MANAGES TO CREATE AMBIGUOUS CHARACTERS AND MAINTAIN SUSPENSE. The presence of two main female protagonists and their alternating storylines give a lot of glimpse into the psychology of two rather different women and their hidden vices and passions.

It also differs from the ordinary thriller due to the Livre’s focus on envy as a major character flaw, narcissism, and even subtle emotional abuse. Although its execution can be seen as logical and somewhat expected, it is done with finesse and manages to grab the attention of the readers until the very last page. The novel can be recommended to fans of the psychological thriller, the lead character is a strong and intelligent woman, and some scenes give an atmosphere of noir.

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