Pacing in literature means the rate at which the story unfolds for the reader. It does not necessarily mean the speed at which a story is told but rather how long it takes a writer to describe or present an event or action in the story. While all types of fiction have moments when the plot speeds up and others when it is restrained, plot-driven horror and thrillers tend to have a faster pace than something like historical drama. There are several reasons to speed up or slow down the pace of a story. For example, an author will slow the pace to create emotion or suspense and speed the pace up to create anticipation, action, or tension. General elements of pacing include plot, diction, syntax, dialogue, and genre.

Kubica is an expert in controlling the pacing in her novels, using a familiar and successful formula in her psychological thrillers. One of the ways she controls the pacing is by having multiple narrative voices that present their stories in smaller fragments. One voice interrupts another, causing a delay in action or the revelation of information about a character.