What Lies Between Us

A subgenre of crime fiction, the domestic thriller has gained popularity during the 21st century, as the success of such novels as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (2012) and Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train (2015) demonstrate. The term “domestic noir,” coined by author Julia Crouch, has also been applied to such works. Crouch defined the genre as follows:

In a nutshell, Domestic Noir takes place primarily in homes and workplaces, concerns itself largely (but not exclusively) with the female experience, is based around relationships and takes as its base a broadly feminist view that the domestic sphere is a challenging and sometimes dangerous prospect for its inhabitants (Crouch, Julia. “Genre Bender.” Julia Crouch, 2013).

While such thrillers share many characteristics with thriller and mystery fiction, they are set apart by their emphasis on personal relationships in domestic settings, rather than broader political or social intrigue. In this way, they draw on 18th-century Gothic novels, such as Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847).

What Lies Between Us exemplifies key characteristics of the domestic thriller genre. It is written in first person from two alternating perspectives, indicated by the chapter headers, whose reliability is not guaranteed. The novel probes the limits of perception as well as the possibility for events to be interpreted in multiple ways. Additionally, the novel develops suspense through its nonlinear storytelling, with events recounted in an order that maximizes the impact of the mystery. There are numerous surprising twists, which change the way that readers and characters view past events. As dark secrets are revealed, the novel addresses such concerns as possessiveness and control in family relationships, as well as memory and identity, all of which are typical fare in this genre, as well as the closely related psychological thriller. In What Lies Between Us, certain major plot points revolve around Nina’s intermittently disordered mental state.

Crouch notes that domestic noir often prioritizes the experiences of women, and that is certainly the case here. Both of the narrators are women and their relationship is defined, at least initially, by the bond they feel as parent and child. Through Maggie’s overprotective treatment of Nina, John Marrs explores the ways in which such bonds can become problematic, just as Nina’s overwhelming desire to be a mother leads her to commit certain atrocities. In addition to the physical bonds that are manifest in the novel, these characters are further bound by their interpretation of their roles as mother, daughter, girlfriend, grandmother, and so on.

Though What Lies Between Us does not make any striking deviations from the genre’s basic formula, it stands out for its parallel explorations of women in the home and workplace. Nina’s job as a librarian provides a contrast to her home life, with children ironically appearing only in the library and not at home, despite her longing to be a mother. Meanwhile, Maggie’s job as a receptionist at a doctor’s office gives her the means to manipulate teenage Nina’s pregnancies and perceptions, showing that, in some cases, the home environment can be even more fraught than whatever is out there in the world.