Invite me in: By Emma Curtis

 

How far will you go to avenge and vindicate what has been once yours?  .. 

 Supposing, it’s a person. Someone your truly love. But lost. 

 

Will you hack their socials?, label them with the nastiest of names?, post their ugly pictures online?, scratch their car?. Throw eggs on their window?. 

 

OR 

 

Will you stalk them?. Investigate their lives?. dig into their personas until you get to the right moment to finish them off?.

 

I know you got chills all over your body the second you set eyes on the word Stalk, (me too).

 

Just imagine someone being super obsessed with you and your existence (in a positive/ negative way, depends) that they intentionally plan on studying you, your presence, and your psyche, as if you’re related to them and share their last name.  All, to act under the aegis of revenge. 

 

Through the medium of Love everything seems to be acceptable. To tell lies, act indifferently and allow others to encounter the personality you only reveal to your nemesis. 

 

If its something you cant imagine, then allow me to justify by taking you to the gripping world of Eliza, Dan and Martin. 

 

Invite me in, a terrifying and mysterious world created by Emma Curtis. A world that apprises the story of countless personas living among us but are secretive about it, due to shame. This book has genuinely invited us in, to the higher society and realm of our existence. An existence that is based on control under the umbrella of love and revenge.

As Emma invited us into the mad and spinechilling world of her creation, Its time for me to take the lead and invite you in, to my conversation about this masterpiece of a book.

 

Trapped in an unhappy marriage with a controlling paralyzed husband who encompassed every word resembling an imperious figurehead, this is Eliza’s world. 

 

Back in the time, prior to the tragic incident, Martin used to be a lively figure who lived, loved and was never ashamed of publicizing such a feeling to the world. He cherished his wife and took pleasure in parading her to his loved ones, in the most enticing way possible. A gesture that all women would die for. True. But it all crashed down and came to an end as the misfortunate event led him to be paralyzed. Martin realized that he lost the battle, a battle of rivalry and jealousy, that existed in the reality of his imagination. It’s the rush of adrenaline that strikes him to gaze into people’s eyes when displaying what they desire but can’t have or even touch. Be it Eliza, the house, his kids or all together. He loved it. But now it’s all over. So, he acted it all out against Eliza. 

 

Showing her off to the world now is an indicator of ownership and captivity. Long have gone the love, romance and the tenderness that once screamed Eliza. An era of servitude and authority have been activated for the wife he once adored, that he cast aside his first partner for. 

 

 

Life has been fierce for the trophy wife, not only is she a mother of two young children, but she’s also a wife of a controlling husband who  tracks her movements and consider her connections at all times. Freedom is not a word embraced within the household. But Eliza has to cope with it. Not for her husband, for her love and devotion dissolved the day Martin’s supremacy introduced itself. Part of it is for the sake of the kids, but its all about the power he has through a cathartic secret of hers. A secret that Martin is clasping on and imprisoning Eliza in her own family circle and set of comfort as it has to be. But its not. 

 

Now imagine this with me .. 

 

 

You cant meet someone, unless .. 

You cant sneak out, unless .. 

You cant have a normal coffee run, unless .. 

You cant have a normal errand, unless .. 

You cant have immediate change of plans, unless 

 

Unless your partner knows all about it. 

Not knowing in an informative way.  Nope. 

knowing in an imperious commanding course of action that tends to be a routine. 

 

Informing your partner about where you’re going and with who is normal, but not to the point of being tracked and considering every step and location within the dot.

That’s not equality, affection, jealousy, or whatever label you have. That’s stalking and controlling. Yes stalking your own partner and controlling them. Bear in mind, it’s the partner YOU have chosen for yourself because YOU trust and love them .. 

 

*deep EXHALE* 

 

 

This abnormality is basically the tragic life of Eliza. 

Until the day everything changed with a knock from a stranger while working on-scene. 

The knock that set the first few pieces of a disintegrating jigsaw. 

 

Dan .

 

 

A good-looking man with a flattering personality who seemed to be innocently popping in to check the availability of the living quarter Eliza is working on. Dan was aware that Eliza is the landlady (stalking skills) who will eventually accommodate him for his flirtatious gestures and attention that she was desperate for. 

 

But what about Martin?. 

Martin was not fond of it, he demanded to call the whole thing off but Dan’s heroic effort of retaining Eliza’s bag from an abductor while walking with Ali (Martin’s sister) was an indicator to get along and proceed. She convinced Martin that it’s her duty of restoring the good deed towards him for getting her bag safely. 

 

But putting the pieces together, one would grasp and comprehend that everything was outlined and prepared long before Eliza’s bag was snatched. Long before Martin’s accident and long before martin’s physical abuse on Eliza took place. 

 

First, Dan popping in unexpectedly in a semi-finished accommodation with the intention of having his hands on it before its too late (As he assumes) is suspicious. Second, having him be in the exact same site and location where Eliza was, the time her bag was snatched (again, suspicious). Third, acting as a hero right after he was notified about the rejection concerning the property (absolutely suspicious). The aforesaid are all clear signals for intended movements towards his plan of revenge and hurt. As cynical as they are all, Eliza thought nothing of it. 

 

 

Did it ring a bell?

 

 

Isn’t it a bit similar to Joe Goldberg’s moves of saving the day, prior an attack?

 

 

Unfortunately, it did ring a bell for us readers. But not Eliza, who was happy with the sparks going on. But little did she know that Dan was playing an act on her and her family. To redress what has been once his, but not anymore. The target in this plot is Martin. Martin used to date Dan’s twin sister whom he dumped for Eliza!

 

Wait there’s more. 

 

 

Dan’s twin took her own life and Martin being the proud person he is, didn’t even ask how she lost her life or even send some flowers of remorse to the funeral procession. 

 

 

So having Dan in the position of wanting to hurt the family and specifically the person who is the reason for his sister’s loss allowed him to act and get closer to the wife who is already desperate and miserable in her marriage. One look from her, a gesture from him and voila the emotional and physical tension is all there. However, with that persuasion, Dan aimed to get close to Eliza through Isabel, the family’s au paire who seems to be in her early twenties and cant take no for an answer when it comes to guys identical to Dan.

Dan had both ladies on his hands. Both Eliza and Isabel were falling for his tricks which caused more tension in the house. 

 

With all the traction and apprehension going on between the couple, none of it was real. It was all one-sided. Eliza has been longing for such a love from her husband. A husband who speaks the language of abuse and violence, rather than the lingo of tenderness and devotion. The sparks that introduced themselves with Dan’s knock have led to lifechanging events. Its not Martin’s death that will allow your emotional butterflies and tears to fly away and never come back. Not even what will happen to Isabel or even Eliza’s one-nighter with Dan. No, its far beyond that.

 

The unexpected turn of events will bring about all of your detective skills on board. Not only for its twists and turns, but for the procedure, its modus operandi, the process of planning and acting it all out. 

 

You will absolutely be intrigued and speechless. Your mind will not be at ease for as long as you need to take it all in and calm down. 

 

The book ended with multiple unlooked for developments, flashbacks, and Deja vu that you wouldn’t even think of happening. But it did!. So secure yourselves and gear up for the muse in shape of a book!

 

 

 

The Brilliant Emma Curtis invited us in, and I shall not leave. Never will.