Metronome: The 'unputdownable' BBC Two Between the Covers Book Club Pick

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The connection to the sculptures is not obvious at first but once the connection is made, coupled with Whitney’s own artworks, it is explosive. In every chapter, paragraph and sentence we are invited to ask how we feel, how Watson has made us feel. Dystopian, suspenseful and atmospheric, the premise of this novel is that a married couple are coming to the end of their 12 year incarceration on a remote (fictional) island. She is ambitious, industrious, working hard to create whatever they need and investigating their surroundings.

They spent their time attending to the ground, attempting to grow food with regular exercise as well as an ancient jigsaw. This, with the dynamic presence of the sea - almost a character in and of itself in the way it influences the main characters - makes the novel feel restless and unsettled. I had approached this book with high hopes: The premise of two people being exiled to a remote island for 12 years as a punishment is intriguing. As it is, with omniscience at play, Watson uses the idea of funnelling his information from the broadest possible view, zooming down to the specific minutiae – and out again.References to the past shed light on the present, and for me, the past has made the present work very strongly.

In the same way The Hunger Games’ Katniss has an idea to swallow poisonous berries to create an equality so there are no survivors, it shows not only her character but her lateral thinking and intelligence. It suggested a story of survival and hardship, a situation which require out-of-the-box thinking and the island setting itself promised a mystery to unravel. Watson’s early drip-feeding of clues leaves us initially doubting or wondering about their purpose, and whether we’ve missed anything. In brief, Aina and Whitney have been exiled to an unknown island from an unknown country, and are tethered to a machine which dispenses a pill every eight hours that ensures their survival. They have been alone, fending for themselves, they are married but the love and trust they once had is now replaced with doubt and paranoia.

When I read a book with a high concept mystery I find myself thinking of most episodes of doctor who, where they create a brilliant otherworldly monster, villain, threat, etc.