Psychological thriller set in AUCKLAND, New Zealand

30th July 2022

Faceless by Vanda Symon, psychological thriller set in AUCKLAND, New Zealand.

“His only friend is missing and he’ll do anything to find her…”

In the face of competing demands of his corporate job and his family, Bradley feels angry and impotent. His boss wants him to work overtime: his family needs him at home. He’d quit his job, but he needs the money. As the pressure builds, he looks for some kind of release but when things go wrong, he explodes. What happens next will determine whether he can ever go back to being the man he was before.

Meanwhile, Max has already had his life-changing moment and now exists among the homeless on the backstreets of Auckland, trying to avoid thinking about his past. If he feels anything it is that he is worthless and hopeless. He’s just another of the faceless nobodies who inhabit the city’s seamy underworld. The only thing that he lives for is Billy, a slightly built, Pasifika girl with whom he has a pact: they’ve agreed that in that dangerous environment where nobody cares, they will watch out for each other.

When these two worlds collide, Billy goes missing and Max knows that if he doesn’t find her, nobody else will even try.

Vanda Symon’s Faceless was originally published in New Zealand ten years ago and has been updated for a new market. It is pacey and gripping – an easy and rewarding read that I finished in a couple of breathless sessions. Each of the characters is beautifully drawn and it’s easy to empathise with the situations they have found themselves in. While it wasn’t hard to guess some of the backstory, it was nevertheless pleasing to discover that I was right and there are plenty of little twists to keep the plot entertaining.

The setting will be an unfamiliar aspect of the city of Auckland for most readers – it leads us into the dark and grimy environment inhabited by tramps, prostitutes and drug addicts. The contrast with the shining beacon of the Sky Tower, Brandon’s family home, the beauty of Auckland’s offshore islands and the efficiency of the police station is acute. The location could be almost any city in winter but there are some references that make it uniquely Kiwi tale. I loved the almost supernatural influences that keep the Fijian-born Billy going when all else seems lost: the references to her grandmother – her talisman – together with the Pasifika myths and sayings that sustain her in her desperate situation.

The novel illustrates how easily someone can descend from their comfortable life to an underworld of pain and destruction. Billy, Brandon and Max each experience their own tragic fall but for different reasons and their possible paths to redemption lie within their reach. The question is whether they have the strength and will to survive.

Faceless is recommended for fans of mystery, suspense and thrillers. A percentage of profits will go Shelter, the charity for the homeless.

Trigger warning: I probably wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who has experience of violence or domestic abuse, but that’s my only reservation.

Sue for the TripFiction Team

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