Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the arc of Shore Lodge by Susan Specht Oram.

Yes, this will make you uncomfortable in parts. Yes, it will leave you feeling a tad frightened… should you read it…. YES!

What happens when childhood anger persists well into adulthood? Well, this book says that you lie and put your mom into a mental institute.


Susan Oram's 2022 release is branded as a high-stakes psychological thriller. In her novel, we follow Jacklyn, a recently widowed elderly woman, Rose, her work-obsessed daughter, and Dusty, her lying, annoying son. After losing her husband to an unexpected heart attack, Jacklyn struggles with grief and the day-to-day functions of her previous life. After she begins forgetting her name and other important parts of her life and job, Dusty convinces Rose that Jacklyn should be temporarily placed in a mental institute, Shore Lodge. To get her there, they lie to her and tell her it's a rustic grief retreat that will help her combat her feelings. However, upon arriving, Jacklyn is forcibly placed in the institute. Dusty has been given power of attorney and happily removes Jacklyn from the life she once knew. Once Jacklyn realizes what is happening, she begins to plan her escape, but after her second attempt, she is placed on the secure 2nd floor, where she is stripped of any privileges and freedoms she once knew. As Jackie uncovers her son's true plan, she becomes determined to escape, enact her revenge, and regain control of her life. Can Jackie flee the imprisoning hospital and her son's power? Or will she be relegated to being stuck in room 12 forever?


While this book is branded as a high-stakes psychological thriller, I feel that it is better branded as a domestic thriller. While it would seem like being involuntarily confined to a mental institution would be a psychological terror, the fear related to involuntary confinement is not explored at all. The thrilling aspect of this novel lies in whether or not Jackie can uncover Dusty's plan and gain control of her life. Shore Lodge is placed on an isolated island in the Pacific Northwest, and the setting alone should provide some thrills; however, this aspect is not genuinely explored until Jacklyn begins planning her escape route. There are multiple opportunities in the novel where Oram could have delved into the scares of a mental institution but doesn't. While I found this novel compulsively readable, I found myself wanting more in the thriller parts of the novel. I enjoyed reading from Jacklyn but often found myself getting bored with her inner monologues. In short, this novel would have excelled had the author leaned more into the horror that was readily available to her.


My main problem with the novel lies in the way in which it was written. When I am reading an adult thriller, there are elements that I come to expect: real-life dialogue, well-fleshed-out characters, a multi-faceted plot, and an elevated style of writing. However, these aspects are absent. First, much of the dialogue is unnatural and stilted. You're telling me that after uncovering Dusty's true plot, Jacklyn just gets angry and explains that she will not talk to him any longer? She spends approximately two minutes talking to him and then just decides to move on her with her life. Not only is the dialogue strange but there are moments when the characters' inner monologues do not match their character or their ages. For instance, there is a moment when Dusty, a grown man, discusses farting. Now, I am not a male, but I have never known my husband to just talk about farting. It just felt childish and inaccurate. Secondly, Dusty and Rose are not developed at all. Of course, they are not the protagonist, but we do get their perspectives, so they should be well-developed. However, we get no real explanation of the motives behind Dusty's plans and no discussion of Rose's jealousy toward Dusty. If we are going to get chapters devoted to their perspectives, we should also get a full character arc. Next, the plot is very lackluster. After uncovering Dusty's true motives, Jacklyn makes her final escape plans when she discovers that her dog has been given up to a shelter. Her grandson never even comes into the picture. Rescuing her dog is what forces her to escape but she has so many more positive aspects to her life. Lastly, there are places in the novel where the writing feels like a young adult novel. There are multiple times when the figurative language feels forced and confusing. Because Jacklyn runs a garden warehouse, she naturally knows about plants. Throughout much of the book, there is so much figurative language that revolves around plants. I love plants and gardening, yet some of these metaphors and similes were lost on me. They were so many instances of the plant figurative language that most of the time it felt forced. For an adult novel, Oram does not match up to her contemporaries.


Overall, I give this novel 2.5 stars out of five. With an average rating of 4.2 on GoodReads and a branding of a high-stakes psychological thriller, I expected much more and was, ultimately, disappointed.

There were certainly some scenes that were intense and uncomfortable and while I do think it was written well, those will probably bother some others (like the haircut scene.) This was definitely fast paced and eerie and I enjoyed it.

This was a reread. I had read an ARC a few months ago.

Reading a book about an older woman losing her freedom was honestly refreshing. I feel like we forget the elderly and we forget to think about how terrifying these "homes" can be, and I know in some cases it is the only option.
But I am telling you, as a former hospice worker, that old age and death go a lot more smoothly when the families take their people in and care for them. I mean when they can make it happen.
The whole scene where they cut our protagonist's hair was hard for me. Hair is so personal! I wonder often how people can work in jobs where they violate people. I have known "good people" who do these things. We now in the 1940s "good people" did horrible unthinkable things.
I liked this book. It was terrifying but we also got to see the different perspectives. It was also incredibly wholesome. Especially the ending.