I Know Who You Are: Alice Feeney

"Meet Aimee Sinclair, the actress everyone thinks they know but can't remember how.

"Except one person.

"Someone knows Aimee very well.

"They know who she is and they know what she did.

"When Aimee comes home and discovers her husband is missing, she doesn't seem to know what to do or how to act.  The police think she's hiding something and they're right, she is--but perhaps not what they thought.  Aimee has a secret she's never shared, and yet she suspects that someone knows.  As she struggles to keep her career and sanity intact, her past comes back to haunt her in ways more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.

"In I Know Who You Are, New York Times bestselling author Alice Feeney proves that she is a master of brilliantly complicated plots and killer twists that will keep you guessing until the final page."

I'm baaaaack!  I've been on a hiatus for what feels like forever and, for that, I apologize.  If I'm totally honest, it began because I originally wrote a spectacular review of this book in June of 2019...and accidentally deleted it instead of saving it.  Stupid me.  And there was no recovering it because I had written it on a computer without automatic backup.  Ugh.  I'm still annoyed by that to this day; however, I think my extreme disgust and quick temper had something to do with the fact that I was also four months pregnant.  Yes!  We have a new little reader in our household!  My son, J, is just over six months old now and I've been reading to him to show him how amazing the written word can be.  I hope he's going to be a little bibliophile, just like his Mommy.

Now, back to the review...  I'm going to attempt to recreate some of my review of this book, but I'm positive it's going to pale in comparison to the real thing simply because it's been so darn long since I read it.  I'm a bit frustrated that I've completely thrown off my book count for 2019 and 2020 because I stopped reviewing what I was reading, but such is life.  *Edit:  I was able to figure out how to backdate this review to when I originally finished reading it.  This review was written on May 19, 2020.

When re-reading the synopsis of this book, the first thing that struck me was how amazingly twisted it was.  Feeney's writing left such an impression on me that, even nearly a year later, I recall how gut-wrenchingly shocking her writing was.  Similar to her other book Sometimes I Lie, the book starts off compelling, but rather ordinary.  The characters are interesting and the plot is unique, but you wonder where everything is going.  It's a brilliant mixture of familiarity and suspense - if that makes any sense at all?  We begin with the disappearance of Aimee's husband.  It's interesting and suspenseful, but I've learned to expect more from Feeney.  What dark and twisty turns await the readers?  Hm.  The cops seem to lay an extreme amount of suspicion at Aimee's feet.  In fact, some hints and clues make the readers doubt Aimee as well.  What is her secret?  What does want to keep in the dark?  For that matter, who is this woman she claims to have stalking her?  A crazed fan?  Something more?  Could this woman be responsible for everything that's going on?  What could she possibly want with Aimee?

And when we finally learn more about Aimee's past - her deep, dark secrets - we realize that there's more to her character than meets the eye.  The revelation brings to light a great deal of what makes up Aimee's inability to share herself...and the possibility that she may very well have blocked out some very important information.  In an attempt to try not to reveal too much, I will say that her childhood is every parent's worst nightmare...

Then, when the ending comes about, we are exposed to the psychological havoc that abuse can wreak upon a person's psyche - just how damaged they become when their formative years are devoid of love and nurturing attention.  I found the culmination of all of the suspense nothing less than shocking.  Feeney is truly a master of dark suspense and psychological thrillers.  She has shed light upon the dingiest corners of the human mind and exposed characters who are the epitome of damaged.  This book left an indelible mark upon me.

I will caution readers who are easily disturbed by rape and child abuse to steer clear of this book.  Even though I found the story highly disturbing, it was a story I simply could not put down.  If you love twisted suspense, then this book is definitely for you.

Gone Girl: Gillian Flynn

"What are you thinking Amy?  The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer.  I suppose these questions stormcloud over ever marriage:  What are you thinking?  How are you feeling?  Who are you?  What have we done to each other?  What will we do?  Just how well can you ever know the person you love?  This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears.  The police immediately suspect Nick.  Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him.  He swears it isn't true.  A police examination of his computer shows strange searched.  He says they aren't his.  And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.  So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?  And what was left in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed?  In this novel, marriage truly is the art of war..."

I actually read this book in the matter of a couple of days while I was visiting my family out of state/housesitting/using the peace and quiet to finish writing my Master's thesis in early November of 2017, so I am, unfortunately, a little bit late on my review.  I swear I recall starting a review for this, but I cannot seem to locate it...  I heard such good things about this book (and the movie came out not too long ago), so I had been contemplating picking it up for awhile.  This trip seemed like as good a time as any -- especially when my younger cousin (15) was thrilled to see me reading it because it was a book she, too, loved.  (Part of the reason I read it so quickly was she wanted to watch the film version together after I'd finished the book...unfortunately, we couldn't find it on Netflix in order to do so...bummer.)

Anyhow, I feel like this review is going to be much shorter than my other recent reviews because I have to tread a VERY fine line between reviewing what I found to be so brilliant about this book, and not giving away any of the earth-shattering twists and brilliantly-written turns.  It's safe to say that I now understand why this is an award-winning book.  Flynn's knowledge and expertise in the field of the human mind was astonishing and her craftsmanship was spectacular.  There was never a boring moment.  Everything felt as if it was held together by invisible threads I couldn't fully see, nor did I completely comprehend them, but I could sense their presence...and I knew the culmination would be something epic.  I was not disappointed.

Nick and Amy - through her diary entries and accounts of her friends and family - were so deep and multi-faceted.  There were nuances and complexities that I could only fully appreciate after I closed the book and stared unseeingly off into the distance and contemplated what I'd just read.  This is a book that will leave you with aftershocks.  It will stay with you long after you've closed it.  It makes you question reality and just how well you (think) you know the people you love and with whom you surround yourself.  I am a firm believer that this is a mark of an excellent book:  when it stays with you and pops back into your consciousness every now and again.  It leaves an undeniable tattoo upon your soul.

I absolutely recommend this enthralling, disturbing, brilliant read.  Prepare yourself to be sucked right into this book and loathe to put it down until you've turned the last page.  This is a bit different from a majority of my other "for fun" reading material, but I'm so glad I branched out.  Enjoy!