Michelle Miller is a 33-year-old Medical Records Clerk living in Atlanta. Her life is uneventful – she wakes up, goes to work, comes home, goes to bed, repeat. She doesn’t have any friends and doesn’t speak to her estranged family. Until one day her brother Michael calls to tell her that their mother is in the hospital and she needs to come home. Home is located in a small drive-through town called Lorida, Florida. Michelle hasn’t stepped foot there in 15 years – ever since she caused the death of her best friend. Sinkhole is a debut psychological thriller by Davida G. Breier, and follows Michelle as she confronts her dark past and those whom she thought she could trust. 

Michelle’s father died when she was eight years old. Since then, life in the trailer park with her brother and mother has been dreary and uneventful. That is, until she meets Cecilia – or Sissy – when she begins her junior year of high school. Sissy enjoys the life of a higher socioeconomic status, much different than what Michelle is used to. Nevertheless, the friendship blooms rapidly. Michelle begins to enjoy having a friend, having somewhere to go and someone to spend time with. As readers progress through Sinkhole, however, Sissy’s actions become more and more manipulative and nefarious. Michelle can’t tell if Sissy is lying or telling the truth – and it is these lies that will derail Michelle’s life and cost her more than her trust in her friend. 

Sissy’s manipulation becomes more obvious as Michelle develops a close friendship with a classmate, Morrison, a queer punk who is hiding his sexuality. Eventually Sissy welcomes Morrison into their circle, and the duo becomes a trio. But Sissy’s friendship with Morrison causes some strain, especially when the two seem to be getting along better without Michelle. Since Michelle is the narrator in Sinkhole, readers get a first-hand account of the jealousy, heartbreak, and confusion that she feels during these intense years of her life. 

Davida G. Breier tells the story by bouncing back between the past (Michelle’s high school years in the 80s) and the present (Michelle’s solo road trip from Georgia to Florida to see her mom and brother). This style of storytelling is perfect for the psychological thriller genre. Michelle is absolutely dreading going back home. As far as she knows, her best friend is dead and it’s all her fault. She never planned to face those demons again. Yet she’s on her way to talk to the only family she had, whom she left years ago and haven’t spoken to since. 

While on the road trip with her, readers also slowly learn more about the events that led up to the moment when Michelle decided she was never going back home. As we progress through Sinkhole, readers realize along with Michelle that Sissy’s manipulation and deceit reached far beyond their friendship, and how Michelle paid for it. Breier paces the story well, then delivers shocking moments for a climactic confrontation and an ending that doesn’t disappoint. I read the last 60 pages in one sitting because I absolutely had to know how the book ended. 

Davida G. Breier joins our growing guest list for Cantina Conversations. We talk about her background, what her high school years were like, and her experiences as a first-time author. Keep an ear out for the interview in an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast. Sinkhole is available May 26.