Tuesday, 2 June 2015

How I Lost You - Jenny Blackhurst

"They told her she killed her son. She served her time. But what if they lied?


I have no memory of what happened but I was told I killed my son. And you believe what your loved ones, your doctor and the police tell you, don't you? 


My name is Emma Cartwright. Three years ago I was Susan Webster, and I murdered my twelve-week-old son Dylan. I was sent to Oakdale Psychiatric Institute for my crime, and four weeks ago I was released early on parole with a new identity, address and a chance to rebuild my tattered life.


This morning, I received an envelope addressed to Susan Webster. Inside it was a photograph of a toddler called Dylan. Now I am questioning everything I believe because if I have no memory of the event, how can I truly believe he's dead? 


If there was the smallest chance your son was alive, what would you do to get him back?"

I couldn't imagine anything like the events in How I Lost You happening to me, in real life - it is a completely terrifying roller coaster of a story, that tugs on your heartstrings from the very first page. On the surface, the plot appears to be pretty straight forward, but once you scratch the surface, a very different tale begins to emerge. 
Emotional and disturbing, this is an amazingly well-written psychological thriller, pacy enough to keep the pages turning, but drawing out the conclusion perfectly, so that every little truth is uncovered slowly. 
The characters are also well-written - Jenny Blackhurst captures a lost, confused, grieving mother in Susan/Emma, and while other characters show hints that they are not quite what they seem, nothing is obvious enough to spoil the plot. 

How I Lost You is a solid 4.5 star read for me and you can get it here:


**Many thanks to the publisher for my ARC**


No comments:

Post a Comment