''A Simple Favor'' is the debut thriller novel by Darcey Bell. It was first published on March 21,

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...

, by

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. The novel centers on Stephanie, a mom blogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily's sudden disappearance from their small town in

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

. Employing the

unreliable narrator An unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility is compromised. They can be found in fiction and film, and range from children to mature characters. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in ''The Rhetoric of Fiction''. While unr ...

technique, the story is told through Stephanie, Emily, and Emily's husband, Sean.

Summary

Mommy blog Family-and-homemaking blogs are weblogs that feature commentary and discussions especially about home, family, and parenting. Appellations in media reports of "mom blog," "dad blog," "parenting blog" and "family blog" refer to blogs of this type. ...

ger Stephanie Ward is asked a favor by her best friend, Emily Nelson, one day to help pick up Emily's son after school. Emily never shows up to collect her son from Stephanie however, and after days of searching, she is believed to have been found dead. Stephanie starts digging deeper into Emily's secrets as she seeks to uncover the truth.

Reception

Writing for the '' Richmond Times-Dispatch'', Jay Strafford described the novel as "'' Gone Girl'' gone nuclear, ''Gone Girl'' on steroids, amphetamines and cocaine." Strafford added that, "But let it be said that Bell possesses a wicked imagination and a firm grasp on plotting; she fills ''A Simple Favor'' with multiple twists, all the while providing subtle clues for the astute reader." '' The Cleveland Plain-Dealer''s Laura DeMarco gave the novel a "B" grade and called it a "pageturner". ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

''s Jack Batten noted that it was a "stylish and unsettling thriller," and said, "The plot stretches into increasingly dark territory, the narrative mixing familiar gimmicks in the thriller repertoire and producing an overall story that’s just mysterious and weird enough to supply maximum satisfaction." On the other hand, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' felt that Bell "squanders an intriguing setup with ill-defined stakes and tired, telegraphed plot twists," describing the novel as "convoluted". The '' Belfast Telegraph''s Georgina Rodgers agreed, saying, "Stephanie and her blog were very two-dimensional and not believable and parts of the plot felt forced and too far-fetched."

Film adaptation

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

pre-emptively acquired the film rights for the novel in January 2016. In June 2017,

Paul Feig Paul Samuel Feig (; born September 17, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including '' Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' The Heat'' (2013), '' Spy'' (20 ...

signed on to direct the film adaptation, which stars Anna Kendrick,

Blake Lively Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...

, and

Henry Golding Henry Ewan Golding (born 5 February 1987) is a Malaysian-British actor and television host. Golding has been a presenter on BBC's ''The Travel Show'' since 2014. He is known for his film work, playing the role of Nick Young in ''Crazy Rich Asia ...

. It was released in the United States on September 14, 2018.

References

External links

Official HarperCollins page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simple Favor, A 2017 American novels American novels adapted into films American thriller novels Novels about missing people Fiction with unreliable narrators HarperCollins books Novels set in Connecticut