Barry’s writing is likely to attract comparisons to Jessica Knoll, the New York Times best-selling author of Luckiest Girl Alive and The Favourite Sister. Allison, her protagonist, has all the hallmarks of a Knoll heroine: a former life, seemingly perfect, now blown apart; a clear – some might say cynical – mind; a determination to survive; and an unforgiving vision of the world...It takes a skilled novelist to straddle the practicality of being lost in the mountains (with just four protein bars and whatever survival skills you have managed to glean throughout your life) and the emotional experience of losing oneself. Barry pulls it off beautifully. Her vivid writing means we feel Allison’s pain, her hunger, and her relief whenever she does eat some food.
"Freefall" begins as an action-packed/heart-stopping thriller as it logically and smoothly leads into the self-examination of two women estranged from each other but still united by love.... While "Freefall" works well as a psychological thriller, the twists are predictable and succumb to plot cliches. The story holds few surprises as it winds down to the denouement, but the strong characters do not disappoint.
