Jo Ainsley has been running for a long time. From her childhood in small town England to art school in London to the messy end of a relationship in Sydney, Jo has chosen to run again and again, each time moving further from where her troubles began.
This time, her escape will bring her to the remote northwest region of Western Australia, where she must work for 88 days on a farm in order to extend her visa. There she meets an American, Gabe, with whom she has an immediate connection. He tells her of an idyllic off-grid community which seems like a refuge to her. Miserable, desperate and traumatised by a brutal event at the farm, Jo decides to run.
But the paradisal free-diving haven that embraces her without judgement is not all it seems. It harbours some sinister secrets – and so does Gabe. Jo searches for answers, but is she prepared for what she uncovers? She must decide where her loyalties lie and if she is really ready to confront the darkness of her past…
Anna Snoekstra is an award-winning author and screenwriter whose previous works include Only Daughter, Little Secrets and The Spite Game, all of which were big hits with BR readers. Now she returns with Out of Breath, a compulsive, nail-bitingly tense psychological thriller that takes readers deep into the heart of a seemingly idyllic intentional community – that proves to be anything but.
The novel follows Jo, a young woman with a troubled past who has a habit of running from her problems rather than facing them. After running from a failed relationship, and then a freak accident, she makes her way to an intentional community in outback WA, where she meets a cast of misfits as damaged as she is. Here, she attempts to address her past trauma and allow herself to heal. But the longer she stays there, the more Jo realises that there’s something very wrong with this community and its residents.
Set against a stunning, vivid outback landscape, Out of Breath is a compelling thriller, packed with page-turning tension and crackling with suspense. This book is a slow burn, but once it reaches the final act, the action comes thick and fast, resulting in a satisfying and fitting end.
Unique and very addictive, Out of Breath is a standout psychological thriller, perfect for readers of Anna Downes’ The Safe Place and Sarah Bailey’s The Housemate.
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