Stacy Willingham’s All the Dangerous Things is a novel about a mother’s desperate search for her missing son. The book takes the reader on a dark and twisted journey, exploring themes such as motherhood, guilt, depression, relationship breakdown, family tragedy, personal well-being, trauma, and loss.
Summary All the Dangerous Things
Isabelle Drake is a mother who cannot move on after her son mysteriously vanishes from his bedroom. She clings to any hope that Mason will be found, but her search fails to bring him home. With the authorities, the media, and her husband abandoning Mason’s case, Isabelle becomes more determined than ever to discover what happened to her son.
As Isabelle struggles to sleep and cope with the pain of her son’s disappearance, painful memories from her past return. The gradual release of information about Mason’s disappearance and the lead character’s back story was intriguing. Willingham takes her time to set the scene, and her storytelling approach is a slow-burn format. The short chapters and the thick shroud of unreliability that followed the prime protagonist and the other side players featured in this story keep the reader on edge.
Willingham also introduces a true crime podcaster, Waylon, into the story, who takes an interest in Mason’s case. Waylon’s motives are unclear, but his involvement in the subject helps move things along. As the story unfolds, Isabelle’s past is integrated into the developing mystery, and her current state of mind, riddled with sleep deprivation and possible postpartum psychosis, is explored. Sleepwalking is even suggested as a potential line of suspicion around Mason’s disappearance.
All the Dangerous Things is a twisted, tangled, and convoluted thriller. Nothing is quite as it seems, and Willingham is very good at casting doubt over all her characters. The gradual release of information about Mason’s disappearance and the lead character’s back story was intriguing. Willingham takes her time to set the scene, and her storytelling approach is a slow-burn format. The short chapters and the thick shroud of unreliability that followed the prime protagonist and the other side players featured in this story keep the reader on edge.
The author does a great job weaving in themes of motherhood, guilt, depression, relationship breakdown, family tragedy, personal wellbeing, trauma, and loss. The story hops back and forth from the past to the present, leaving a trail of emotional destruction linked to a mother and a child. The book is a harrowing suspense tale that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end.
Overall, All the Dangerous Things is an engrossing read that will keep you hooked from start to finish. While the events may seem far-fetched, it is an enjoyable thriller exploring some critical themes. If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers, you will enjoy this book. Willingham proves once again that she is a master of her craft, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
