I Know Who You Are by Alice Feeney

3.5 Stars

This could have been a superb book, a shining example of the genre.  Unfortunately, it all goes a little bit off the rails and strays in to territory that is, quite frankly, absurd bordering on the ridiculous.  This is a real shame as the author has worked hard to get the reader invested in the characters, to get them as confused by the events as Aimee is and then off we wander in to sensationalism and baffling decisions.  The tale does tug itself back in to line for the denouement but barely.

What Ms Feeney does startlingly well here are the flashbacks to Aimee's early years, her formative years.  Importantly the years where she learned to act, to become someone else to please others.  The voice of young Aimee comes through wonderfully in the written word and feels, dare I say it, authentic.  The adult Aimee is far more circumspect and cautious, jealously guarding her privacy.  The contrast between the two voices works well and even manages to create a bit of tension between the two versions of Aimee we are introduced to.

The insecure actress trope did grate on me a little, it is so overused and it did feel a little slapped on; particularly as Aimee is clearly resourceful and tough so to paint the adult as this fragile woman just didn't really work once you get a few chapters in.  On top of that you have a red herring stalker that even if you are reading casually you can see through.  Couple this with a police investigation that we only really see from Aimee's perspective that is, not to put too fine a point on it, is facile and it can make for a very frustrating read.  This is certainly no procedural drama.

The bits that work do so very well but there is such a lot of filler that I did become frustrated with Aimee and her adult whiny neediness.  Child Aimee is a much more rounded character, pity there is so little of her remaining in the adult.  Their are two events that could be described as the "killer twist" one of which invites us to suspend disbelief that she genuinely did not recognise this person from her past, the other loses some of it's impact because it comes after such ridiculousness.

Overall I did enjoy the read.  However, I would not rush out to buy another book by the author.

THIS IS AN HONEST AND UNBIASED REVIEW OF A FREE COPY OF THE BOOK RECEIVED VIA THE PIGEONHOLE.