Review by Stacey O’Carroll
Author: Robyn Harding
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
RRP: $32.99
Release Date: 3 July 2024
“My first novel, Burnt Orchid, has been out in the world for two days. The manuscript I poured my soul into for almost three years now sits on bookstore shelves, and it’s the achievement of my life.”
Every aspiring author dreams of the day their novel will be published and in readers’ hands. But what if, within days of publication, a stream of haters and one-star reviews started to overwhelm the positive reviews? For Canadian author Robyn Harding’s protagonist in The Haters, it’s a reality that begins to unravel her career and life.
“But I already feel bad. Very bad. Because my career as a writer is on a precipice.”
School counsellor and author Camryn Lane has just published her debut novel, Burnt Orchid, and is appearing at her first big author event when negative reviews insinuate that she has used her student patients’ lives for story inspiration. What starts as an irritating couple of online reviews descends into a hate campaign and ripples into her relationships with her boyfriend, daughter, friends and ex-husband. Camryn cannot help but fixate on finding out who is behind the online hate, and she has her suspicions. As she searches for answers, her career and life are threatened. Then, to make matters worse, her teenage daughter Liza moves in with her father full-time. When she begins to suspect almost everyone she knows, the danger Camryn faces escalates, and she must find a way to put an end to the hate campaign before it is too late.
“Is it possible that my online trolls sent messages to my workplace? Posed as students to try to get me suspended, or event fired?”
The premise of The Haters is intriguing, especially for authors, and covers a topic that for many writers is an unfortunate reality of life online. Authors understand that not every reader will enjoy their book, and negative reviews are inevitable. The painful reality is that sometimes those negative reviews are not authentic. Harding has created a protagonist who does not enjoy attention but is forced into the spotlight as a result of the online attacks. While Camryn’s fears, frustration and passion for her writing are relatable, there were a couple of scenes when it was easy not to care what happens to her next. However, this could just be a side effect of the character’s reaction to her life spiralling out of control.
“I drop the phone like it’s hot, and it clatters on the hardwood. My pulse skitters, but I pick up the device and admonish myself. No one is out there.”
Harding structures The Haters with intermittent chapters containing excepts of the fictional Burnt Orchid. While the reasoning behind this choice is clearly designed to make the reader think Camryn is an unreliable narrator and to create red herrings, they did interrupt the flow of the main story. However, these Burnt Orchid chapters often felt poorly written and like they belonged in their own separate novel. Creatively pushing conventions and genre boundaries is a great idea. However, Harding’s attempt fell flat for me. I would have preferred to focus more on what was happening to Camryn.
The Haters is an intriguing read that will make you wonder if Camryn can survive the onslaught. Harding’s latest novel is for lovers of book-related mysteries and whodunnits.