after spending 10 years in New Zealand with the hope of reuniting with her remarried father, 30-year-old Suki returned to London, where she grew up in. she walked by the old building where she once lived with her parents. out of curiosity, she visited Peggy, a neighbor and family friend that still lived in the building. Peggy was bedridden with old-age, where Pippa, her daughter hired a nurse, Amanda to attend to her. when Amanda left, Pippa asked Suki to stand in for her, which she accepted reluctantly due to failing to find herself a job in the meantime. later Suki was introduced to Pippa's family, her chef husband Ari and rebellious son Caleb.
from time to time i got confused, until i sort of got used to the strange parts that took place only after Suki was asleep, where she would mysteriously went back in time, to the night of a costume party her parents threw in their garden 20 years ago. Suki was an awkward and pathetic character, so distant and having no ability to cope with her life at all. she got disowned by her father's new family, dumped by men, abusing drug and alcohol, and can't even get herself a decent job. but as she tried to help the family through their difficult time when Peggy lingered on her deathbed, she became useful just being at the right place at the right time. despite the strangeness and possibilities of where the storyline of The Girl Below (2012) could be heading, i felt somewhat abandoned and left hanging when i reached its final page. though not exactly a bad book, The Girl Below (2012) was probably just different.