Bianca--Split

Split by Tara Moss features Makedde Vanderwall, a young Canadian model working her way to earning a degree in forensic psychology. Instead of entering with a warm welcome, she wakes up in the middle of the night with reoccurring, horrific nightmares, and is soon greeted with fear of a killer that targets female students on campus. With the assistance of an ex-boyfriend who had previously saved her life before, detective Andy Flynn is determined to find the killer, but most importantly, to save Makedde who is instant prey. He remains in Vancouver, Canada to attend a convention on psychopaths but as soon as he and his mentor land, they are asked by local police to help, and is more than obliged into the case unfolding at the university. Makedde makes it clear to him that she is moving forward with her life by finding a new romance and doesn’t want to repeat the past. In an attempt to avoid him, she ignores his warnings and soon finds herself back in danger. Andy is still infatuated with Makedde, but somehow their relationship just does not progress until something else happens and they both return to their respective designations.

The theme of the importance of conquering fear for survival is visibly displayed throughout the novel. Makedde learns the hard way that ignorance and too much pride doesn’t solve anything, but results in catastrophe. By rejecting Andy Flynn, she unknowingly puts her life at risk and makes herself accessible to the killer. Her new boyfriend Roy Blake works as a campus security officer but cannot always be there to protect her. Makedde struggles to balance her school life with her modeling job, along with making it home safely. The end of the novel consists of an unexpected twist that introduces the next theme that Moss establishes which is to always stay alert. The usual saying of “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” does not pertain to this novel when you don’t know who the enemy is. In this case, Makedde must know the true identity of the people around her.

Moss uses a strong sense of imagery to leave the reader in bewilderment and a fast pulse. Normally, I don’t read thrillers because of their predictability (or perhaps I haven’t picked up a great thriller), but the curiosity as to what happens next is almost excruciating. Losing her mother in her teen years, Moss had experienced a strenuous time gap. She puts forth these emotions of losing a loved one in her work to create what I believe is phenomenal. Makedde’s nightmares are extremely vivid and depict the strong emotion Moss may have felt to make the reader feel mutual connection. Such diction makes the reader feel frustrated, content, perplexed and astonished in that order. Split is the second novel in the Vanderwall series but can still be read without reading the first book. However, if you do not prefer reading novels that cannot be critically analyzed chapter by chapter, this may not be your read, but I would still recommend it to anyone who seeks a rapidly fluctuating thrill.