Book Review: 'Tangerine' by Christine Mangan
'Tangerine' by Christine Mangan is a eerie thriller in which two characters find themselves entangled in a web of deceit and manipulation. The character's and their grasp with reality or normality creates an atmosphere that is both intriguing, mysterious and uncomfortable for the reader.
'Tangerine' is the story of two women thrown together by circumstances of being each other's college roommates. Alice is an orphan who grew up with her wealthy aunt. Lucy is a scholarship girl who grew up poor but who used her intelligence to get places most girls in her position could never get. The two young woman's friendship becomes so strong they are completely engulfed in each other and in their whimsical, dreamy plans for the future. After an intense incident, the two separate and are no longer friends. Alice marries a man named John and moves to Tangier, Morocco. She no longer has fond feelings toward Lucy. Lucy on the other hand is still hung up on Alice and wants to live the life together they always dreamed about. The two are reunited in Tangier. At first the reunion is uneasy, but the two old friends fall back into their old ways, enjoying each other's company and trusting each other. But things aren't quite right. Alice isn't sure she can trust Lucy. But Alice is also sometimes unsure she can trust her own mind. The reader and the character's don't always know what is real and who to trust, and we are taken down a rabbit hole of twists and turns!
The quote on the cover from Joyce Carol Oates compares this story to Donna Tartt, Gillian Flynn, Patricia Highsmith and Alfred Hitchcock. I can definitively see echos of all these people's works in 'Tangerine'. Donna Tartt in the way she writes about intense interpersonal relationships is reminiscent between the two main characters, Alice and Lucy. The relationship between the two women is stronger than the average friendship yet convoluted by unrealistic expectations of what they are to each other. In both the eeriness of the novel and the theme of women on the brink or in the throes of their own mental illness definitely hearkens back to women character's Flynn has created. 'Tangerine' definitely has hints of Patricia Highsmith in particular Highsmith's novel 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'. Shades of Ripley appear in that of Lucy, and more so as the 'Tangerine' progresses. 'Tangerine' reminds me of Hitchcock in the twists and the turns, the suspense and the time era the novel takes place.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes suspense, psychological thrillers, books about women and books that keep you on the toes. This book is perfect for reading early in the morning in front of a huge window looking down on a cityscape while drinking espresso and listening to old swing music.