Review by Stacey O’Carroll
Author: Anna Snoekstra
Release Date: 2022
Sometimes instead of running away from our past, we run straight into something far worse: the kindness of strangers.
In Out of Breath, the new and fifth thriller novel from Anna Snoekstra, the troubled and insomniac Jo leaves the beachy comforts of Sydney for a mango farm in an isolated Kimberley town to fruit pick, meet her visa requirements and escape from the end of a relationship. With no reception and minimal amenities, Jo is isolated from her Sydney friends and the traumatic past back in England that she tries desperately to forget. However, when she meets Gabe and Ally from a hidden off-grid community, Jo decides that their utopian existence and peaceful lifestyle are what she needs to heal. After a horrific accident on the farm, Jo escapes through the dangerous terrain to find the hidden community. Finally sleeping, thanks to Ally, Jo integrates into their idyllic society. However, the more she learns about the people and their activities, the more the truth blisters to the surface, and she realises that the people and place are not quite what they seem. Something far more sinister and dystopian is hidden beneath the surface of the commune.
Snoekstra cues terror and fearful anticipation in the reader from the first few pages of Out of Breath with clever references to Wolf Creek. The mere mention of the film in the first couple of pages terrified me of what would unfold over the following chapters once Jo landed in Broome. As the anticipatory tension builds throughout the narrative, it is easy to see how talented Snoekstra is at playing with sentence structure and pacing to create fear. Snoekstra structures the novel into four parts, allowing the reader to catch their breath between plot reveals. She also successfully adds flashbacks intermittently to slowly inform the reader of Jo’s past rather than the confusing back and forth between chapters which many authors use.
The characters created are complex and compelling, with some forcing the reader to question their own judgments. This questioning ends up paralleling Jo’s eventual search for the truth. Snoekstra’s decision to provide the reader with key facts before Jo discovers them provides just enough distance for judgement of her actions but also allows them to care about her impending fate.
In Out of Breath, Snoekstra presents an interesting exploration of the lasting impact of trauma and the fragility of the mind. Out of Breath is a psychological journey that left me thankful I could escape by turning the page, but it will engage thriller readers until the very end. However, the realistic descriptions of the Kimberley have both intrigued me and made me wary of travelling to the region.
I am not overly familiar with crime and thriller fiction, as they are not genres I usually read. However, Snoekstra’s expert pacing and unpredictable plot twists kept me turning the page and hoping for the safety of Jo. Out of Breath is a showcase of skilful, subtle thrills.
Hold your breath long enough whilst reading, and you may end up Out of Breath.